ii 


SCHOOL 


STEREOTYPING 


A  PRACTICAL  TREATISE  OF  ALL  KNOWN  METHODS 
OF  STEREOTYPING,  WITH  SPECIAL  CONSIDERA- 
TION OF  THE   PAPIER   MACHE   PROCESS 


TV  WHICH  IS  ADDED  AN  APPENDIX  GIVING  CONCISE 

INFORMATION   ON  QUESTIONS  MOST 

FREQUENTLY  OVERLOOKED 


BY  C.  S.  PARTRIDGE 

•\ 


SECOND    EDITION 
Revised  and  Enlarged 

A  A   A 


CHICAGO  AND   NEW  YORK 
THE  INLAND  PRINTER  Co. 
1909 


SCHOOL 


Copyright,  1892, 

By  C.  S.  Partridge, 

Chicago. 

Copyright,  1909, 

The  Inland  Printer  Co., 

Chicago. 


CONTENTS 


I.  INTRODUCTION 7 

II.  THE  FLONG 16 

III.  PREPARING  THE  FORM 26 

IV.  COLD  PROCESS  STEREOTYPING         ....  48 
V.  CASTING 53 

VI.  SAWING           71 

VII.  SHAVING   MACHIN-ES 81 

VIII.  TRIMMING 93 

IX.  ROUTING  AND  BEVELING 106 

X.  REVISING 113 

XI.  BLOCKING            . 123 

APPENDIX 134 


PUBLISHER'S  PREFACE. 

it  QTEREOTYPING  by  the  Papier-mache  Process," 
O  by  C.  S.  Partridge,  first  appeared  in  1892,  and  at 
once  became  a  standard  work  for  practical  men,  the 
author  being  an  experienced  and  practical  stereotyper 
and  having  an  extensive  acquaintance  in  the  trade 
through  these  qualifications. 

This  second  edition  of  his  work,  revised  by  Mr. 
Partridge,  has  been  brought  thoroughly  up  to  date  and 
many  features  added  to  make  it  as  helpful  as  possible 
to  the  student  and  more  experienced  operative. 

THE  INLAND  PRINTER  CO. 
CHICAGO,  March,  1909. 


STEREOTYPING. 


CHAPTER  I. 
INTRODUCTION. 

THE  history  of  the  practical  application  of 
papier-mache  stereotyping  to  newspaper  work 
covers  a  period  of  less  than  fifty  years,  but  in  that 
brief  time  its  influence  has  been  felt  all  over  the  civi- 
lized world. 

The  early  experiments  of  Vanoni  and  Dellagana  in 
London,  and  of  Charles  Craske  in  New  York,  resulted 
in.  the  adoption  of  the  papier-mache  process  by  the 
London  Times  and  the  New  York  Tribune  and  Herald. 
To-day  every  newspaper  in  the  world  recognizes  the 
value  of  the  invention  and  makes  practical  use  of  its 
products. 

The  rotary  press,  with  its  printing  capacity  of 
50,000  sheets  per  hour,  owes  its  existence  to  the  papier- 
mache  process  of  stereotyping,  whose  flexible  matrices 
permit  the  casting  of  curved  plates,  whereby  the  print- 
ing surfaces  are  transferred  from  the  bed  of  the  press 
to  the  cylinder.  The  limited  speed  of  a  reciprocating 
bed  has  thus  been  exchanged  for  the  continuous  revo- 


8  STEREOTYPING. 

lutions  of  the  plate  cylinder,  and  the  capacity  of  the 
press  increased  a  hundredfold. 

Another  important  advantage  of  the  papier-mache 
stereotyping  is  found  in  the  rapidity  with  which  plates 
may  be  reproduced  for  duplicate  presses,  thereby  pro- 
viding a  means  by  which  a  number  of  presses  may  be 
started  almost  simultaneously  and  the  largest  editions 
of  the  metropolitan  papers  printed  in  a  few  hours. 

Let  the  novice  imagine  himself  in  the  office  of  a 
great  daily  paper.  The  hour  is  midnight  and  an  army 
of  compositors  are  "  setting  up  "  the  forty  pages  of 
matter  for  the  next  morning's  edition.  As  fast  as  each 
page  is  made  ready  it  disappears  down  the  elevator 
shaft  to  the  stereotyping  room  until  at  last  only  one 
form  remains  to  complete  the  paper.  The  hour  is 
growing  late ;  in  thirty  minutes  5,000  papers  must  be 
printed  and  folded  ready  for  the  fast  mail. 

Let  us  follow  this  last  form  to  the  stereotype  room. 
As  the  electric  bell  rings  announcing  its  arrival  on  the 
stereotyping  floor,  two  workmen,  clad  only  in  overalls 
and  sleeveless  undershirts,  quickly  slide  the  form  on 
the  bed  of  a  rolling  machine.  One  of  them  planes  it 
down,  another  oils  it,  and  a  third  lays  the  prepared 
flong  on  the  type  and  covers  it  with  a  felt  blanket.  So 
far  but  a  fraction  of  a  minute  has  been  consumed,  and 
in  thirty-five  seconds  more  the  form  has  been  passed 
forward  and  back  under  the  roller.  This  last  page 
is  a  "  news  "  page  and  has  in  it  no  large  spaces  to 
require  "  packing,"  so  it  can  be  immediately  covered 
with  half  a  dozen  drying  blankets  and  placed  on  the 
steam  press  to  dry.  Two  minutes  are  allowed  to  set  the 
matrix  and  then  the  form  is  withdrawn  from  the  press 


STEREOTYPING.  9 

and  the  matrix  placed  on  the  "  scorcher."  In  one 
minute  more  the  matrix  is  dry,  and  quicker  than  the 
time  it  takes  to  tell  it  the  margins  are  trimmed  and  the 
matrix  adjusted  in  the  auto-plate  machine,  which  auto- 
matically casts,  shaves,  trims  and  delivers  ready  for  the 
press  curved  stereotype  plates  at  the  rate  of  three  to 
four  per  minute.  One  after  another,  the  huge  presses 
are  started,  and  soon,  with  tremendous  roar  and  din, 
the  full  complement  of  machines  are  vomiting  forth  the 
printed,  folded  and  counted  sheets,  with  a  rapidity  and 
an  accuracy  of  execution  that  seems  little  short  of 
miraculous.  Compare  one  of  these  modern  machines 
with  the  printing-press  of  thirty  years  ago,  and  some 
idea  will  be  gained  of  what  stereotyping  has  done  for 
the  newspaper. 

But  it  is  not  only  the  great  metropolitan  papers  that 
are  indebted  to  the  stereotyping  art.  Many  a  country 
daily  owes  its  existence  to  this  same  invention,  and 
nearly  all  the  smaller  dailies  throughout  the  towns  and 
cities  of  the  country  are  glad  to  avail  themselves  of  the 
advantages  which  it  places  within  their  reach. 

Let  us  go,  for  instance,  to  the  office  of  a  plate- 
supply  house  in  Chicago.  Here  we  may  see  enacted 
many  of  the  scenes  which  we  have  witnessed  in  the 
newspaper  office.  The  difference  consists  chiefly  in  the 
fact  that  in  the  newspaper  office  sixty  pages  are  often 
prepared  for  a  single  paper,  while  here  a  single  page  is 
prepared  for  a  hundred  papers.  Early  in  the  morning 
the  editors  and  compositors  begin  their  work,  and  at 
half  past  six  the  form  is  ready  for  the  stereotypers.  As 
early  as  seven  o'clock  trains  begin  to  depart  from 
Chicago  for  the  principal  towns  and  cities  within  a 


10  STEREOTYPING. 

radius  of  two  hundred  miles  and  hundreds  of  columns 
of  telegraphic  news  plates  must  be  ready  for  shipment 
on  these  trains. 

The  method  of  molding  the  form  does  rot  differ 
materially  from  that  employed  in  the  newspaper  office, 
but  the  subsequent  operations  of  casting  and  finishing 
are  somewhat  more  complicated,  for  here  the  plates  are 
cast  flat  instead  of  curved,  and  are  afterward  sawed 
into  single  columns,  trimmed  on  sides  and  ends,  and  an 
angled  recess  or  groove  cut  on  their  under  surfaces  to 
provide  a  means  for  locking  them  to  the  bases  in  the 
form.  Notwithstanding  the  many  operations  necessary 
in  the  finishing  of  these  plates,  modern  machinery 
makes  it  possible  to  turn  out  every  forty  seconds  a 
complete  set  of  news  plates  finished  ready  for  shipment. 
The  country  daily  is  thus  supplied  with  the  news  of  the 
day  almost  as  promptly  as  its  wealthy  metropolitan 
contemporaries. 

Nor  is  the  matter  furnished  to  the  press  restricted  to 
news  alone,  as  every  variety  of  matter  used  in  news- 
papers may  be  procured  in  plate  form  at  an  expense 
which  seems  trifling  when  compared  with  the  cost 
which  would  ensue  to  the  publisher  were  he  to  attempt 
to  provide,  single-handed,  the  same  service.  From  an 
educational  point  of  view  the  benefit  of  this  service  is 
really  national,  for  thousands  of  pages  of  bright,  fresh, 
interesting  and  instructive  reading  matter  are  scattered 
broadcast  throughout  the  country,  reaching  every  vil- 
lage and  hamlet,  whose  publications  would  otherwise 
be  restricted  to  the  wealthier  magazines  and  periodicals 
which  alone  could  afford  the  expense  of  purchasing 
such  matter  for  use  in  an  individual  publication. 


STEREOTYPING.  11 

Stereotyping  provides  the  advertiser  with  a  cheap 
and  efficient  method  of  reproducing  advertising  cuts, 
and  is  particularly  valuable  to  those  who  make  regular 
or  occasional  changes  in  their  announcements,  for  by 
employing  the  separate  plate  and  base  system  any  num- 
ber of  thin  plate  advertising  cuts  may  be  worked  in 
turn  from  a  single  base,  thus  effecting  a  material  sav- 
ing in  metal  and  transportation  charges. 

The  utility  of  stereotyping  for  the  production  of 
book  plates  and  jobwork  of  all  descriptions  is  too  well 
known  to  need  more  than  a  passing  reference.  While 
it  is  inferior  to  the  electrotyping  process  for  the  pro- 
duction of  high-class  work,  yet  the  well-known  expense 
of  the  latter  process  and  the  fact  that  electrotype  foun- 
dries can  be  conducted  with  profit  only  in  the  larger 
cities  where  the  volume  of  work  is  sufficient  to  war- 
rant the  employment  of  a  large  number  of  men,  are 
arguments  in  favor  of  stereotyping  for  a  large  propor- 
tion of  the  reproductions  required  by  the  news  and  job 
printing-offices  in  the  smaller  cities  and  towns. 

HISTORICAL. 

It  is  not  the  purpose  of  this  work  to  describe  in 
detail  the  plaster  and  clay  methods  of  stereotyping,  but 
it  may  be  stated  in  passing  that  the  plaster  process  was 
invented  about  the  year  1725  by  William  Ged,  a  Scotch 
goldsmith,  and  the  clay  process  probably  by  a  French- 
man near  the  close  of  the  same  century.  The  use  of 
stereotype  plates  did  not  become  general,  however, 
until  the  beginning  of  the  present  century. 

The  inventor  of  the  papier-mache  process  is  not 
positively  known,  but  the  system  undoubtedly  origi- 


12  STEREOTYPING. 

nated  in  France.  In  1829  M.  Genoud  of  Lyons  took 
out  a  patent  which  was  evidently  designed  to  cover  this 
method  of  stereotyping,  and  he  is  by  some  writers 
credited  with  the  invention ;  but,  according  to  Thomas 
Bolas,  member  of  the  Society  of  Arts,  London,  Eng- 
land, a  similar  process  was  employed  by  several  per- 
sons previous  to  that  time.  F.  J.  F.  Wilson,  another 
English  writer,  states  that  the  process  was  introduced 
into  England  in  1846  by  an  Italian  named  Vanoni, 
residing  in  France,  and  that  it  had  been  in  use  in 
France  for  a  short  time  previously.  Mr.  Wilson 
implies  that  this  was  the  first  application  of  the  paper 
process  in  that  country.  That  this  is  an  error  is  shown 
by  the  records  of  the  English  patent  office.  In  January, 
1840,  six  years  previous  to  Vanoni's  arrival  in  Eng- 
land, a  patent  was  granted  to  Moses  Poole  for 
"  Improvements  in  Casting  for  Printing  Purposes," 
which,  judging  from  the  description  given,  was  fully 
as  practical  as  the  methods  employed  by  Vanoni. 
Indeed,  excepting  improvements  in  the  materials  used 
and  also  in  the  drying  apparatus,  by  which  the  time  for 
drying  the  matrix  has  been  reduced  from  two  hours  to 
six  minutes  or  less,  the  process  described  by  Poole  is 
the  same,  practically,  as  that  in  use  at  the  present  time. 
While  Poole  was  the  patentee  of  the  process  in 
England,  he  did  not  claim  to  be  the  inventor,  for  he 
states  in  his  application  that  the  invention  was  com- 
municated to  him  by  a  foreigner  residing  abroad.  As 
the  process  was  in  use  in  France  previous  to  the  time  of 
Poole's  patent,  it  may  be  supposed  that  he  obtained  his 
information  from  a  resident  of  that  country,  and  pos- 
sibly from  Vanoni. 


STEREOTYPING.  13 

The  man  most  prominent  in  the  development  of 
papier-mache  stereotyping  in  its  earlier  history  prob- 
ably was  James  Dellagana,  an  Italian  who  became 
familiar  with  the  process  in  France,  and  who  was 
employed  by  the  London  Times  to  conduct  a  series  of 
experiments  with  the  object  of  duplicating  the  forms 
of  that  journal  in  order  that  additional  presses  might 
be  utilized  for  the  printing  of  its  rapidly  increasing 
edition.  The  first  plates  made  for  this  purpose  were 
cast  type-high,  in  single  columns;  later,  in  1859,  full 
pages  were  cast  in  curved  form  to  fit  the  cylinders  of 
the  rotary  presses  in  use  at  that  time,  and  finally,  in 
1863,  the  casting  of  semi-cylindrical  plates,  which  made 
possible  the  success  of  the  modern  perfecting  press, 
was  accomplished,  and  the  problem  of  rapid  newspaper 
printing  was  solved. 

In  America  the  papier-mache  process  of  stereotyp- 
ing was  introduced  in  1851  by  Mr.  Charles  Craske,  wfio 
was  at  that  time  a  steel  and  copper  plate  engraver  in 
New  York.  In  1854  Mr.  Craske  made  the  first  curved 
plate  for  a  Hoe  rotary  press  in  the  office  of  the  New 
York  Herald.  The  experiment  did  not  prove  entirely 
successful,  however,  inasmuch  as  the  process  was  not 
permanently  adopted  at  that  time.  But  in  1861  Mr. 
Craske  made  contracts,  which  he  successfully  carried 
out,  to  stereotype  the  regular  editions  of  the  Tribune, 
Times,  Sun  and  Herald,  and  from  that  time  the  use 
of  stereotype  plates  in  these  offices  has  been  continuous. 

An  important  and  constantly  increasing  business 
which  originated  in  England  in  1858,  but  which  has 
found  its  highest  development  in  this  country,  is  the 
manufacture,  at  central  points,  of  stereotype  plates  of 


14  STEREOTYPING. 

ready-set  matter  for  the  use  of  the  newspaper  press,  by 
which  means  the  cost  of  composition  is  practically 
divided  among  a  large  number  of  publishers.  The 
originator  of  this  plan  was  Mr.  Isaac  Heyes,  of  Shef- 
field, and  it  was  developed  into  a  lucrative  business  by 
the  National  Press  Association  of  London.  The  plates 
sent  out  by  that  company  were  cast  in  single  columns, 
type-high  and  all  metal.  They  were  therefore  quite 
heavy  and  the  cost  of  transportation  soon  became  a 
serious  item  of  expense. 

In  August,  1871,  B.  B.  Blackwell  of  New  York 
invented  a  stereotype  plate  which  could  be  made  in  two 
parts  consisting  of  a  block  or  base  and  a  thin  surface 
plate  so  arranged  that  they  could  be  readily  separated 
or  locked  together  in  the  form.  The  advantage  of  this 
plan  was  that  the  bases  could  be  kept  permanently  in 
the  offices  of  the  publishers,  and  after  the  first  shipment 
the  surface  plates  only  required  transportation.  The 
saving  thus  effected  in  freight  charges  and  in  the  quan- 
tity of  metal  required  to  conduct  a  business  of  this  kind 
was  very  material.  The  utility  of  this  form  of  plate 
was  at  once  recognized,  and  other  devices  having  the 
same  object  in  view  were  patented  in  quick  succession. 

In  America  Mr.  Blackwell  was  the  first  to  engage 
in  the  business  of  manufacturing  stereotype  plates  for 
the  country  press.  He  continued  the  business  but  a  few 
months  and  was  followed  by  M.  J.  Hughes,  of  New 
York,  who  manufactured  a  plate  of  his  own  invention. 
Mr.  Hughes  shortly  sold  his  patent  to  Damon  &  Peets, 
of  the  same  city,  who  developed  a  successful  business 
which  they  carried  on  without  competition  for  several 
years.  They  were  followed  by  S.  P.  Rounds,  A.  N. 


STEREOTYPING.  15 

Kellogg,  The  Chicago  Stereotype  Works,  The  Ameri- 
can Press  Association,  and  others.  The  present  pro- 
portions of  the  business  are  such  that  there  are  few 
newspapers  in  this  country  or  England,  outside  of  the 
metropolitan  dailies,  whose  publishers  do  not  make  use 
of  ready-set  matter  in  plate  form. 


16  STEREOTYPING. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE   FLONG. 

QTEREOTYPING  is  the  art  of  duplicating,  in  solid 
O  metal,  type  or  cuts  composed  for  printing. 

There  are  three  methods  of  stereotyping :  the  Clay 
process,  the  Plaster  process,  and  the  Papier-mache 
process.  Of  these  the  two  first  named  are  practically 
obsolete  and  a  detailed  description  of  them  will  be 
omitted. 

The  processes  in  practical  use  are  the  ordinary 
papier-mache  and  its  modifications  known  as  hot 
methods,  and  several  cold  processes. 

Strictly  speaking,  the  term  papier-mache  is  not 
rightly  used,  but  since  it  has  come  to  be  so  well  known 
under  this  name,  or  as  "  The  Hot  Stereotyping  Proc- 
ess," and  such  usage  having  received  practically  uni- 
versal sanction,  it  will  be  referred  to  under  this  name. 
It  is,  however,  interesting  to  glean  from  early  technical 
works  dating  back  to  1809  the  method  of  producing  the 
bona  fide  papier-mache.  "  This  is  a  substance  made  of 
cuttings  of  white  or  brown  paper  boiled  in  water,  and 
beaten  in  a  mortar  into  a  kind  of  paste,  and  then  boiled 
with  a  solution  of  gum  arabic  or  of  size  to  give  tenacity 
to  the  paste,  which  is  afterward  formed  into  different 
toys,  etc.,  by  pressing  it  into  oiled  molds.  When  dry  it 
is  done  over  with  a  mixture  of  size  and  lampblack,  and 
afterward  varnished."  The  "  size  "  referred  to  is  a 


STEREOTYPING.  17 

kind  of  glue  that  was  made  in  those  days  by  boiling  in 
water  and  straining  shreds  or  parings  of  leather,  parch- 
ment or  vellum. 

The  papier-mache  process  may  be  briefly  described 
as  follows : 

A  few  sheets  of  thin  paper  are  soaked  in  water  until 
soft  and  then  pasted  together  to  form  a  flong.  This 
flong  is  beaten  into  a  page  of  type  and  dried,  thus 
forming  a  matrix  to  receive  the  molten  metal,  which, 
when  cooled,  becomes  an  exact  duplicate  of  the  type 
page. 

A  large  number  of  duplicate  casts  may  be  made 
from  the  same  matrix,  either  in  flat  form  as  required 
for  flat-bed  presses,  or  curved  to  fit  the  cylinders  of 
rotary  presses. 

The  advantages  which  the  papier-mache  process 
possesses  over  the  clay  or  plaster  methods  are  the  ease 
and  rapidity  with  which  the  matrix  may  be  made,  the 
large  number  of  casts  that  may  be  obtained  from  it,  and 
the  flexibility  of  the  matrix,  which  admits  of  its  being 
curved  without  injury  to  fit  the  semi-cylindrical  casting 
boxes  in  which  stereotype  plates  for  rotary  presses  are 
cast. 

The  first  step  in  the  art  of  papier-mache  stereotyp- 
ing is  the  construction  of  the  flong,  which  is  accom- 
plished by  pasting  together  two  sheets  of  soft,  tough 
matrix  paper  (which  have  been  previously  softened  by 
soaking  in  water)  and  four  sheets  of  strong  tissue 
paper. 

In  the  earlier  days  of  stereotyping  it  was  exceed- 
ingly difficult  to  obtain  paper  combining  the  qualities 
of  softness  and  toughness,  and  it  was  only  after 


18  STEREOTYPING. 

repeated  experiments  that  manufacturers  succeeded  in 
producing,  in  the  required  degree,  these  most  necessary 
features.  There  are  now,  however,  several  mills  in  this 
country  and  Europe  which  manufacture  a  special  grade 
of  paper  for  the  stereotyping  trade.  These  papers  are 
not  all  alike,  but  vary  in  texture  and  weight  to  suit  the 
requirements  of  different  kinds  of  work.  In  all  matrix 
papers,  however,  which  are  used  in  the  brush  method 
of  molding,  it  is  essential  that  the  fiber  shall  be  long 
and  strong  and  yet  soft  and  elastic. 

It  is  the  custom  with  most  stereotypers  to  use  two 
kinds  of  matrix  paper  in  the  construction  of  the  flong, 
the  sheet  to  which  the  tissues  are  pasted  and  the  back- 
ing paper,  which  is  usually  added  to  the  flong  after  it 
has  been  beaten  into  the  form. 

MATRIX  PAPER. 

To  secure  the  best  results  with  the  least  labor  and 
expense  the  matrix  paper  proper  should  weigh  about 
forty  pounds  to  the  ream,  size  20  by  24  inches.  A 
lighter  paper  would  be  found  difficult  to  make  up  with- 
out tearing,  and  if  much  heavier  it  would  require 
unnecessary  labor  to  beat  it  into  the  form. 

The  best  weight  for  the  second  or  backing  sheet 
depends  upon  the  material  used  for  filling  in  the  spaces 
or  depressions  in  the  back  of  the  matrix.  When 
"  backing  powder  "  is  employed  for  this  purpose  any 
common,  medium-weight  paper  will  answer  for  the 
back,  for  it  does  not  require  to  be  beaten  into  the  form 
and  can  therefore  be  less  tough  and  elastic  than  the  first 
sheet.  If,  however,  no  backing  powder  or  other  filling 
material  is  used  for  packing  the  spaces  the  backing 


STEREOTYPING.  19 

paper  should  be  about  twice  the  weight  of  the  first 
sheet,  and  should  also  be  of  fair  quality,  as  it  must  be 
beaten  into  the  type  in  order  that  perfect  unison 
between  the  back  and  the  flong  may  be  assured,  par- 
ticularly in  the  spaces  where  the  greatest  strength  is 
required. 

The  tissue  paper  used  in  the  manufacture  of  the 
flong  is  of  two  kinds,  a  heavy  white  and  a  fine,  medium- 
weight  cream  tissue.  The  cream  tissue  is  made  of  rice 
straw,  is  smooth  and  strong  and  must  be  free  from  pin- 
holes  or  other  defects.  When  both  white  and  cream 
tissues  are  used  the  white  is  laid  on  first,  next  to  the 
matrix  paper,  and  the  cream  is  used  for  facing.  Usually 
two  sheets  of  each  kind  are  employed,  but  the  custom 
varies  in  different  offices,  some  stereotypers  using  three 
sheets  of  white  and  one  of  cream,  and  others  using  one 
of  white  and  three  of  cream. 

STEREOTYPERS'  PASTE. 

Stereotypers'  paste  for  uniting  the  different  sheets 
of  paper  in  the  flong  may  be  made  in  a  variety  of  ways, 
few  workmen  using  exactly  the  same  recipe.  All 
pastes,  however,  contain  practically  the  same  chemical 
ingredients,  although  they  may  vary  in  proportions. 
The  materials  most  commonly  employed  are  starch, 
glue,  a  mineral  or  chalk  and  a  preservative. 

A  good  paste  may  be  made  of  starch  and  flour,  but 
the  addition  of  a  proper  proportion  of  glue  and  a  min- 
eral filler  give  it  a  desirable  paintlike  quality  of  forming 
a  skin  or  film  on  the  surface  of  the  paper  instead  of 
soaking  into  it,  as  flour  paste  will  do.  To  preserve  the 
paste  from  fermentation,  alum,  carbolic  acid,  oxalic 


20  STEREOTYPING. 

acid  or  essential  oils  are  employed.  When  the  mineral 
ingredient  is  added  to  the  paste  after  it  is  cooked,  alum 
is  found  to  be  the  best  preservative,  but  when  the 
mineral  is  cooked  with  the  other  ingredients  carbolic 
acid  should  be  employed,  because  alum,  when  mixed 
with  alkalis  in  water,  creates  a  chemical  disturbance 
which  impairs  the  adhesive  qualities  of  the  paste. 

A  great  variety  of  materials  are  used  by  different 
stereotypers  in  the  manufacture  of  paste,  among  which 
may  be  mentioned  wheat  flour,  rye  flour,  farina ;  corn 
starch,  potato  starch,  arrow  root;  glue,  gelatin,  gum 
arabic,  gum  acacia,  dextrin;  china  clay,  kaolin,  paris 
white,  barytes,  ocher,  litharge  and  zinc  white. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  these  substances  virtually  are 
equivalents  of  those  first  mentioned,  and  possess  no 
special  advantages  over  them.  A  dozen  or  more  recipes 
might  be  given,  in  which  these  different  materials  and 
the  proportions  employed  could  be  varied  to  a  consider- 
able extent. 

Following  is  a  paste  recipe  which  has  been  used1  by 
the  writer  with  uniform  success:  Two  and  one-half 
pounds  Oswego  starch  (corn  flour)  ;  one-half  pound 
flour  (wheat  flour)  ;  six  ounces  dextrin.  Dissolve  in 
10  quarts  of  cold  water  and  add  one  ounce  powdered 
alum.  Cook  (in  a  steam- jacketed  kettle  if  possible) 
until  the  mixture  boils  thick.  This  paste  may  prefer- 
ably be  used  without  the  addition  of  whiting  or  other 
flour. 

Stereotype  paste  is  sometimes  cooked  by  means  of 
steam  introduced  directly  into  the  vessel  containing  the 
materials.  In  this  case  some  of  the  steam  is  condensed 
and  adds  to  the  quantity  of  water  in  the  paste.  It  is 


STEREOTYPING.  21 

obvious  that  when  paste  is  cooked  in  this  way  less  water 
will  be  required  than  when  it  is  cooked  over  a  fire*  or 
by  means  of  a  water  bath.  How  much  less  depends  on 
the  dryness  of  the  steam  used?  This  is  a  point  not 
easily  determined,  and  it  is  more  satisfactory,  there- 
fore, to  do  the  cooking  over  a  gas  stove,  unless  a  large 
quantity  is  required,  in  which  case  a  copper  kettle  sur- 
rounded by  a  steam  jacket  will  be  found  convenient. 

While  the  paste  should  never  be  overcooked,  yet  it 
is  important  that  it  should  be  cooked  thoroughly  —  that 
is,  the  entire  quantity  should  come  to  a  boil.  In  a 
steam-jacketed  kettle  the  mixture  will  boil  first  around 
the  edges  of  the  kettle  ;  hence  to  insure  thorough  cook- 
ing, it  should  be  allowed  to  boil  three  or  four  minutes 
after  the  first  indications  of  boiling  are  seen.  Whether 
the  paste  is  cooked  by  a  steam  jet  or  in  a  steam  kettle 
it  should  be  stirred  continually,  both  to  prevent  lump- 
ing and  to  insure  thorough  mixture  and  assimilation  of 
the  materials.  When  cool,  the  paste  should  be  of  the 
consistency  of  thick  cream.  If  too  thick  to  spread 
easily  a  little  water  may  be  added,  but  it  is  not  advis- 
able to  add  more  than  a  very  small  quantity,  as  the 
adhesiveness  of  the  paste  will  be  thereby  impaired. 

PASTE  RECIPES. 

Here  are  several  recipes  for  stereotypers'  paste,  all 
of  which  are  recommended  by  practical  men:  6l/2 
pounds  of  Oswego  starch,  2.^/2  pounds  of  flour  in  6  gal- 
lons of  water.  Then  add  12  ounces  of  common  glue, 
previously  dissolved  in  2  quarts  of  water,  and  2  ounces 
of  powdered  alum.  Cook  until  the  mixture  boils  thick. 

The   British   Printer   recommends   the    following: 


22  STEREOTYPING. 

Dextrin,  I  pound ;  flour,  J^  pound ;  starch,  I  pound ; 
glire,  y*  pound ;  whiting,  2.  pounds ;  water,  5  quarts, 
and  a  few  drops  of  carbolic  acid.  First  dissolve  the 
dextrin  in  about  a  quart  of  boiling  water,  stirring  until 
a  stiff,  gummy  solution  is  obtained.  Having  made  the 
starch  into  a  paste  by  the  addition  of  cold  water,  the 
resulting  thick  liquid  is  poured  into  the  dextrin  while  it 
is  still  boiling.  The  paste  and  dextrin  together  should 
thicken  almost  immediately.  Stir  well,  and  after  a 
short  time  treat  the  flour  exactly  as  the  starch  and  add 
the  compound  in  a  cold  state.  Having  arrived  so  far, 
add  the  glue  —  soaked  over  night  and  reduced  to  thick 
liquid  form  —  and  continue  stirring.  The  whiting  is 
next  taken  in  hand.  This  is  crushed  to  a  fine  powder 
by  the  addition  of  cold  water,  converted  to  a  thick  paste, 
and  in  its  turn  added  to  the  ingredients  in  the  pot.  The 
carbolic  acid  is  added  last. 

Here  is  one  more :  10  ounces  of  gum  arabic  dis- 
solved in  il/2  pints  of  water;  4^  ounces  of  flour;  4 
ounces  of  starch  ;  5^  ounces  of  china  clay  in  \l/2  pints 
of  water.  Mix  together  and  simmer  over  a  slow  fire. 
Do  not  let  it  boil. 

ROLLER-PROCESS  FLONGS. 

Flongs  designed  for  the  roller  process  of  molding 
require  a  different  paste  and  a  softer  paper  than  is  used 
for  the  brush  process.  Usually  two  sheets  of  very  thin 
blotting  paper  are  pasted  together  and  interlaid  between 
the  heavy  blotter  and  the  tissue  paper. 

Here  are  two  recipes  for  roller  paste :  3  pounds  of 
wheat  flour  and  4  quarts  of  water.  Mix  until  all  lumps 
are  out  of  the  flour.  Have  this  in  one  pan.  In  another 


STEREOTYPING.  23 

pan  12  ounces  of  starch  and  3  ounces  of  carbolic  acid 
and  2  quarts  of  water.  Stir  until  the  acid  and  the 
starch  are  dissolved.  Mix  all  the  contents  of  both  pans 
together  and  boil  until  the  paste  will  run  in  a  string 
from  a  stick ;  when  cool  keep  in  earthenware  jar.  This 
is  a  stock  mixture  which  is  used  in  making  two  kinds 
of  adhesives,  as  follows :  For  back  paste,  take  2  pounds 
of  the  stock  mixture,  5  ounces  of  whiting,  and  2  ounces 
of  dextrin.  Mix  together  well,  add  water  enough  to 
thin  to  suit,  then  pass  through  a  sieve.  For  the  face  or 
tissue  paste,  take  2  pounds  of  the  stock  mixture  and 
2  ounces  of  whiting.  Mix  thoroughly,  add  water  to 
thin  and  also  pass  through  a  sieve.  If  the  tissue  sheets 
do  not  stick  well  the  paste  is  too  thick ;  thin  with  gum 
water  made  by  dissolving  two  ounces  of  gum  arabic  in 
one  quart  of  water.  A  second  roller  paste  recipe  is  as 
follows :  15  pounds  of  bolted  whiting  and  5  pounds  of 
Oswego  starch,  known  abroad  as  corn  flour,  in  22 
quarts  of  water.  The  paste  should  boil  slowly,  with 
constant  stirring,  for  ten  or  fifteen  minutes.  A  little 
carbolic  acid  may  be  added  to  preserve  the  ingredients. 
Another  roller  paste  recipe  calls  for  the  mixture  of 
il/t  pounds  of  starch,  2,^/2  pounds  of  gilders'  whiting 
and  3%  pounds  of  dextriri  in  water,  and  cooking  as  in 
the  previous  instance. 

PASTE  SIEVE  AND  SIEVE  BRUSH. 

The  sieve  and  brush  used  in  preparing  the  paste  are 
manufactured  specially  for  the  purpose,  the  former 
being  in  the  form  of  a  basin  with  sieve  bottom,  secured 
in  a  wooden  frame  so  that  the  sifted  paste  will,  fall  into 
another  basin  beneath.  The  brush  is  circular  in  form, 


24 


STEREOTYPING. 


made  of  stiff  bristles  and  provided  with  a  handle  to 
facilitate  its  operation.  Both  sieve  and  brush  should 
be  thoroughly  washed  as  soon  as  possible  after  using, 
as  it  is  no  easy  matter  to  clean  them  after  the  paste 
has  dried. 


PASTE  SIEVE. 


SIEVE    BRUSH. 


PREPARING  MATRIX  PAPER. 

Matrix  paper,  before  it  is  made  up,  should  be 
softened  by  soaking  in  water.  For  this  purpose  a  zinc- 
lined  sink,  provided  with  a  waste  pipe  and  a  stopcock, 
is  usually  employed.  Sufficient  paper  for  the  next 
day's  use  is  placed  in  the  sink  and  covered  with  a  flat 
plate  of  brass,  zinc  or  stereotype  metal.  The  sink  is 
then  filled  with  water  and  the  paper  left  to  soak  until 
needed,  when  it  is  placed  on  a  table  or  flat  plate  and 
the  superfluous  water  removed  by  rolling  over  it  a 
heavy  cylinder  of  wood  or  metal.  One  sheet  of  the 
paper  is  then  laid  on  a  smooth  stone  or  iron-topped 
table  and  covered  with  a  thin  layer  of  paste,  which  is 


STEREOTYPING.  25 

well  rubbed  in  with  the  brush.  A  sheet  of  tissue  is  then 
laid  on,  one  end  being  held  up  by  an  assistant  to  prevent 
contact  with  the  pasted  sheet,  and  with  the  hand  or  an 
iron  rolling-pin  the  operator  smoothes  or  rolls  the 
tissue  into  perfect  contact  with  the  matrix  paper,  taking 
care  to  prevent  the  tissue  from  wrinkling.  A  little 
more  paste  is  then  spread  on  the  tissue  thus  laid,  a 
second  sheet  of  paper  added  in  the  same  manner,  and 
so  on  until  four  sheets  of  tissue  have  been  laid  and  the 
flong  is  completed.  A  second  sheet  of  matrix  paper  is 


PASTE  BRUSH. 

now  laid  on  top  of  the  first  flong,  and  a  second  flong 
constructed  in  the  same  manner  as  the  first.  When  the 
required  number  of  flongs  have  been  made  they  are 
placed  under  a  wet  blanket  to  prevent  evaporation,  and 
may  be  used  at  once  or  kept  several  days,  provided  the 
blankets  be  dampened  occasionally. 


26  STEREOTYPING. 


CHAPTER  III. 
PREPARING  THE  FORM. 

TYPE  or  cuts  which  are  to  be  stereotyped  should 
be  clean,  carefully  justified  and  surrounded  by 
type-high  bearers.  When  type  is  made  up  in  full  pages, 
for  newspaper  work,  it  is  customary  to  employ  type- 
high  chases,  with  type-high  foot  and  side  sticks,  the 
latter  being  made  wedge-shaped  to  provide  a  means  for 
locking  up  the  form.  A  hardened  steel  screw  passes 
through  a  threaded  hole  in  the  lower  end  or  foot  of  the 
chase  opposite  the  larger  end  of  one  of  the  wedge- 
shaped  side  sticks,  which,  being  operated  by  a  socket 
wrench,  serves  to  force  the  wedges  together,  thus  lock- 
ing the  form  in  the  direction  of  its  width,  while  addi- 
tional screws,  impinging  against  the  foot  stick,  serve  to 
complete  the  lock-up. 

It  is  sometimes  a  matter  of  difficulty  to  unlock  the 
side  sticks.  To  overcome  this  difficulty  some  manu- 
facturers of  chases  recess  the  end  of  the  wedge,  turn  a 
shoulder  on  the  end  of  the  screw,  and  then,  by  means 
of  a  split  collar,  secured  to  the  side  stick,  the  screw  is 
made  to  operate  both  ways,  drawing  the  wedge  out  as 
well  as  forcing  it  into  position.  When  this  is  not  done 
it  is  necessary  to  loosen  the  wedge  by  driving,  and  in 
this  case  a  piece  of  soft  metal  should  be  placed  against 
the  small  end  of  the  wedge  to  receive  the  blow  of  the 
mallet  and  protect  the  side  stick  from  injury. 


STEREOTYPING.  27 

The  upper  inside  corner  of  the  chase  and  also  of  the 
foot  and  side  sticks  is  beveled  to  provide  a  recess  into 
which  the  matrix  may  be  driven  to  form  a  bolster  or 
ridge  on  the  mold,  which  ridge  in  turn  forms  a  recess 
in  the  stereotype  cast,  along  the  sides  and  ends  of  the 
plate,  thus  obviating  the  necessity  of  chiseling  or  trim- 
ming away  the  metal  which  would  otherwise  appear  so 
close  to  the  column  as  to  blacken  in  printing. 

In  book  and  job  work,  where  the  type  is  locked  up 
in  ordinary  low  chases,  the  type-high  bearers  with 
which  it  is  necessary  to  surround  the  type  should  also 
be  beveled. 

When  the  form  has  been  made  ready  for  the  molder 
it  should  be  carefully  examined  to  see  that  all  leads, 
quadrats  and  rules  are  down  and  that  the  face  of  the 
form  is  clean.  If  type  or  cuts  are  dirty  they  should  be 
cleaned  with  benzine,  and  the  form  planed  or  smoothed 


OIL  OR  CHALK  BRUSH. 

down  and  brushed  lightly  with  oil  to  prevent  the  flong 
from  adhering  to  it.  The  oil  employed  for  this  purpose 
should  be  free  from  dirt  and  sticky  ingredients.  What 
is  called  headlight  oil  is  best,  as  it  is  thin  and  clean  and 
but  very  little  is  required  to  accomplish  the  desired 
object.  A  heavy  oil  will  cause  the  types  to  stick 
together,  making  unnecessary  annoyance  and  trouble 
for  the  compositor  in  distributing.  The  brush  used  for 
oiling  the  form  is  a  soft  goat's  hair,  about  4  inches  long 


28 


STEREOTYPING. 


by  2.^/2  inches  wide.  In  order  that  the  oil  may  be  evenly 
distributed,  a  few  drops  are  poured  on  a  tin  plate,  from 
which  it  is  taken  up  by  the  brush  and  applied  to  the  type 
without  depositing  an  undue  quantity  in  any  one  spot. 

CAUSE  OF  "  HIGH  TYPE." 

Type-metal,  like  most  other  metals,  is  subject  to 
expansion  by  heat,  and  in  this  fact  is  found  the  prin- 
cipal disadvantage  of  papier-mache  stereotyping,  for 
unless  suitable  precautions  are  taken  to  prevent  it,  the 


BEATING  TABLE. 


STEREOTYPING.  29 

expansion  is  likely  to  be  uneven  and  the  type  may 
therefore  be  seriously  injured  or  even  ruined.  When  a 
form  of  type  is  locked  tightly  in  a  solid  iron  chase  and 
subjected  to  the  heat  of  the  drying  press  it  immediately 
begins  to  expand.  The  chase  being  of  a  different  and 
harder  metal  does  not  expand  to  the  same  extent  as  the 
type,  and  the  latter  being  rigidly  confined  by  the  chase 
is  subjected  to  an  enormous  squeeze  which  results  in 
"  high  type."  In  other  words,  the  expansion  of  the 
type  in  a  lateral  direction  being  prevented  by  the  con- 
finement of  the  chase,  it  is  forced  to  expand  in  a  ver- 
tical direction,  and  as  the  softer  types  are  most  affected 
by  the  heat  the  page  soon  becomes  uneven  and  eventu- 
ally is  ruined.  If,  however,  type  is  allowed  to  expand 
without  restriction  in  both  directions,  it  will  contract  in 
cooling  to  its  original  dimensions  and  the  injury  result- 
ing from  continual  heating  and  cooling  will  be  limited 
to  a  gradual  destruction  of  the  "  life  "  of  the  metal, 
which  results  finally  in  brittle  or  "  rotten  "  type.  But 
this  injury  is  so  gradual  and  the  type  so  evenly  affected 
that  it  is  of  comparatively  little  consequence.  The 
problem  is  to  provide  a  means  of  locking  the  form  in 
such  a  manner  that  it  shall  not  be  so  rigidly  confined  as 
to  prevent  normal  or  natural  expansion. 

DEVICES  TO  ALLOW  EXPANSION  OF  TYPE. 

With  this  object  in  view,  a  device  has  been  patented 
by  a  St.  Louis  pressman  which  consists  of  side  and  foot 
sticks  provided  with  springs,  which  respond  to  the 
pressure  of  the  expanding  type,  thus  relieving  it  to 
some  extent  from  the  squeeze  incident  to  confinement 
in  a  rigid  chase.  This  device  is  said  to  have  given  satis- 


30  STEREOTYPING. 

factory  results,  but  there  is  a  simpler  and  less  expen- 
sive plan  for  accomplishing  the  same  object.  This 
method  has  been  employed  by  the  author  for  a  great 
many  years  and  its  success  may  be  judged  from  the 
fact  that  a  dress  of  type  which  has  been  in  use  for  over 
a  year,  during  which  time  it  has  been  subjected  to  the 
heat  of  the  steam  tables  from  eight  to  twelve  times  a 
day  with  a  steam  pressure  of  eighty  pounds  (about  312° 
F.),  contains  no  high  letters.  The  plan  pursued  is  very 
simple  and  consists  in  placing  a  strip  of  pine  wood  one- 
fourth  of  an  inch  thick  between  the  side  sticks  and  the 
chase  and  between  the  foot  stick  and  the  type,  for  the 
purpose  of  providing  an  elastic  medium  to  receive  the 
pressure  of  the  expanding  type. 

LOCKING  FORMS  TOO  TIGHT. 

As  a  further  precaution,  great  care  should  be 
observed  not  to  lock  tighter  than  is  absolutely  neces- 
sary. This  latter  point  is  one  which  should  always  be 
strictly  observed.  The  power  exerted  by  the  finely 
threaded  screws  upon  the  wedge-shaped  side  sticks  is 
enormous,  and  it  is  safe  to  say  that  in  a  large  majority 
of  cases  newspaper  forms  are  locked  too  tight. 

IMPORTANCE  OF  DRYING  BEFORE  MOLDING. 

It  is  customary  for  newspaper  stereotypers  to  slide 
the  forms  onto  the  steam  table,  unlock  them,  plane 
them  down  and  partially  dry  the  water  out  of  them 
before  molding  them.  Unless  this  is  done  all  the  water 
in  the  type  must  go  through  the  flong  before  the  latter 
begins  to  dry,  which  not  only  delays  the  drying,  but 
often  causes  the  matrix  to  blister  on  the  spaces. 


STEREOTYPING.  31 

UNLOCK  AND  PLANE  ALL  FORMS. 

When  forms  contain  so  little  water  that  they  do  not 
require  to  be  thus. dried,  they  should  nevertheless  be 
unlocked  by  the  stereotyper,  carefully  planed  down, 
and  then  relocked  with  just  sufficient  pressure  to 
"  lift."  As  a  still  further  precaution  it  is  advisable  to 
slightly  loosen  the  screws  after  the  form  is  in  the  press. 
When  this  is  done  it  is  of  course  necessary  to  tighten 
them  again  before  the  form  is  lifted. 

BEATING  BRUSHES. 

Beating  brushes  should  be  made  of  extra  long  Rus- 
sian bristles,  set  securely  in  a  heavy  hard  wood  back. 
The  best  quality  is  the  cheapest,  and  great  care  should 
be  observed  in  selecting  them.  The  cost  of  the  bristles 


BEATING    BRUSH. 

is  so  high  that  unscrupulous  makers  do  not  hesitate  to 
mix  with  them  bristles  of  an  inferior  quality,  or  even 
split  whalebone.  A  good  brush  will  cost  $6  or  more, 
but  will  outlast  two  cheap  brushes  and  will  always  per- 
form better  work. 

MOLDING. 

The  form  having  been  dried,  loosened,  planed  down 
and  oiled,  is  ready  for  molding.  A  piece  of  flong  some- 
what larger  than  the  form  is  laid,  tissue  side  down,  on 


32  STEREOTYPING. 

the  type  and  carefully  and  evenly  beaten  into  the  type 
until  the  proper  depth  is  obtained.  Care  must  be  taken 
to  make  the  blows  of  the  brush  even  and  flat.  If  the 
beating  is  done  with  one  end  or  one  side  of  the  brush 
there  will  be  great  danger  of  tearing  the  flong.  It 
usually  requires  considerable  practice  to  make  a  good 
mold,  but  fairly  good  results  may  be  obtained  by  the 
amateur  if  reasonable  care  be  exercised.  The  expert 
molder  judges  the  depth  of  the  matrix  by  its  color. 
As  the  paper  is  beaten  into  the  form  it  becomes  thin  and 
the  type  shows  dark  through  it.  This  color  is  also  a 
guide  to  determine  the  evenness  of  the  impression,  for 
if  the  matrix  is  dark  in  one  spot  and  light  in  another  it 
is  evident  that  it  is  of  uneven  depth.  If  the  molder  is 
not  sufficiently  experienced  to  be  guided  by  the  color  in 
determining  the  proper  depth  of  the  mold,  he  may  raise 
a  corner  of  the  matrix  from  the  form  and  examine  it, 
provided  the  portion  so  raised  be  carefully  replaced  and 
again  beaten  lightly  with  the  brush,  to  avoid  the  danger 
of  "  doubling." 

It  is  much  better  to  strike  a  large  number  of  light 
blows  with  the  brush  than  a  less  number  of  heavy 
blows,  for  unless  the  operator  is  an  expert  a  heavy  blow 
will  be  liable  to  split  the  flong,  and  moreover,  light 
blows  often  repeated  will  drive  the  flong  into  the  bowls 
or  counters  of  the  types,  where  depth  of  impression  is 
most  desired,  while  the  heavy  blow  drives  the  flong 
down  between  the  lines  of  type  rather  than  into  the 
bowls,  thereby  forming  ridges  on  the  face  of  the  matrix 
which  not  only  give  it  a  rough  appearance,  but  which 
are  apt  to  become  imbedded  in  the  metal  cast  and  torn 
out,  thus  injuring  or  destroying  the  matrix. 


STEREOTYPING.  33 

PACKING  THE  MATRIX. 

After  the  beating  is  completed  the  depressions  in 
the  back  of  the  matrix  which  have  been  formed  by  beat- 
ing the  flong  down  into  the  spaces  between  the  para- 
graphs or  display  lines  should  be  "  packed  "  in  order 
to  give  the  matrix  sufficient  rigidity  at  these  points  to 
withstand  the  weight  of  metal  in  the  cast,  otherwise  the 
metal  when  poured  upon  the  face  of  the  matrix  would 
force  the  spaces  back  level  with  the  face  of  the  type  and 
it  would  then  become  necessary  to  chisel  or  rout  them 
down  to  a  depth  sufficient  to  prevent  blacking  or 
smutting  the  printed  page.  As  such  chiseling  or  rout- 
ing is  tedious  and  laborious  work,  it  is  obvious  that  a 
little  care  expended  in  packing  the  matrix  will  save 
much  time  and  labor  in  the  later  operations  of  finish- 
ing ;  and  this  is  especially  true  when  a  number  of  dupli- 
cate casts  are  taken  from  the  same  matrix,  for  the  time 
required  to  pack  the  matrix  need  be  expended  but  once, 
whereas,  each  of  the  faulty  duplicate  casts  would 
require  to  be  routed,  every  defect  in  the  mold  appear- 
ing, of  course,  in  every  cast  made  from  that  mold.  It 
is  important,  therefore,  that  every  precaution  be  taken 
by  the  molder  to  make  the  matrix  as  perfect  as  possible. 

BACKING  COMPOUNDS. 

The  material  used  for  packing  the  spaces  may  be 
pieces  of  old  matrices,  strawboard  or  felt,  a  putty  made 
of  marble  dust  and  paste  or,  better  than  these,  a  com- 
pound in  the  form  of  powder,  which  may  be  readily 
spread  over  the  matrix.  These  backing  compounds 
may  be  procured  of  dealers  in  stereotypers'  supplies,  or 


34 


STEREOTYPING. 


may  be  manufactured  by  the  workmen.  The  ingredi- 
ents employed  are  usually  lime  and  flour,  intimately 
mixed  and  sifted,  which,  when  moistened  by  the  steam 
arising  from  the  form  and  matrix,  and  the  subsequent 


STEAM  DRYING  PRKSS. 


drying,  become  a  cement  hard  as  stone.  As  few  stere- 
otypers  have  the  necessary  facilities  for  mixing  the 
materials  properly,  it  is  usually  cheaper  and  much  more 
convenient  and  satisfactory  to  purchase  the  prepared 
compound. 


STEREOTYPING.  35 

When  pieces  of  matrix  or  strawboard  are  employed 
for  packing  they  should  be  cut  into  pieces  somewhat 
smaller  than  the  spaces  they  are  designed  to  fill,  in 
order  that  the  ridges  or  raised  places  formed  by  them 
on  the  face  of  the  matrix  shall  not  be  too  sharply 
defined,  thereby  offering  an  opportunity  for  the  metal 
to  become  attached  to  the  matrix. 

When  the  powdered  packing  compound  is  employed 
a  quantity  somewhat  larger  than  is  required  to  do  the 
work  is  poured  on  the  matrix,  and  with  a  straight  edge 
of  rubber,  wood  or  strawboard,  it  is  spread  back  and 
forth  over  the  matrix  until  all  the  depressions  are 
evenly  filled.  The  superfluous  powder  is  then  scraped 
and  blown  off  and  a  dampened  and  pasted  sheet  of 
backing  paper  is  laid  over  it,  care  being  taken  not  to 
disturb  the  powder. 

The  form  is  now  covered  with  from  four  to  eight 
thicknesses  of  soft  blankets  and  placed  under  the  platen 
of  the  steam  drying  press.  The  pressure  of  the  platen 
should  be  sufficient  to  hold  the  matrix  in  perfect  con- 
tact with  the  type  while  it  is  drying,  and  also  to  crowd 
the  matrix  down  into  all  the  spaces ;  or,  in  other  words, 
keep  the  matrix  stretched,  thereby  preventing  wrink- 
ling, but  excessive  pressure  should  be  avoided,  particu- 
larly on  small  forms.  When  the  blankets  are  new  the 
press  should  be  tightened  several  times  during  the  dry- 
ing process,  as  they  will  pack  much  tighter  after  having 
absorbed  water. 

DRYING  THE  MATRIX. 

The  time  required  to  dry  the  matrix  depends  upon 
the  nature  of  the  form  and  the  dryness  of  the  steam 


36  STEREOTYPING. 

furnished  to  the  press.  A  form  which  is  reasonably 
free  from  water  and  contains  no  wood-backed  cuts 
should  dry  in  six  or  seven  minutes,  with  sixty  or  eighty 
pounds  of  steam  pressure  (293°  to  312°  F.).  Wood- 
backed  cuts  retard  the  drying  materially,  as  the  heat 
from  the  press  must  pass  through  the  wood  before  it 
can  affect  the  matrix,  and  as  wood  is  a  nonconductor 


STEAM    DRYING    PRESS    WITH    GAS-HEATED    STEAM    GENERATOR. 

of  heat  it  naturally  follows  that  a  long  time  is  required 
to  heat  the  matrix  sufficiently  to  thoroughly  dry  it.  It 
is  poor  policy  to  place  such  cuts  in  forms  which  are  to 
be  stereotyped,  for  the  work  is  not  only  delayed  thereby, 


STEREOTYPING.  37 

but  the  type  in  the  same  forms  is  subjected  to  the  heat 
of  the  press  for  a  much  longer  time  than  would  other- 
wise be  necessary.  The  steam  table,  or  steam  press,  is 
a  closed  iron  box,  oblong  in  shape  and  mounted  on  legs 
of  a  sufficient  height  to  bring  the  upper  surface  of  the 
table  on  a  level  with  the  beating  table.  The  upper  sur- 
face of  the  press  is  machined  perfectly  flat  and  smooth, 
and  extending  over  half  its  length  is  an  iron  platen 
which  is  raised  and  lowered  by  a  screw  passing  through 
a  yoke  which  is  bolted  to  the  sides  of  the  table.  To  the 
upper  end  of  the  screw  a  large  hand  wheel  is  keyed,  by 
means  of  which  a  sufficient  pressure  may  be  exerted  on 
the  platen  to  crowd  the  soft  blankets  with  which  the 
form  is  covered  into  all  the  depressions  of  the  matrix, 
making  the  spaces  or  raised  portions  smooth  and 
rounded  and  holding  the  matrix  in  rigid  contact  with 
the  type,  thereby  preventing  its  natural  tendency  to 
shrink  in  drying. 

BLANKETS. 

The  blankets  used  for  this  purpose  should  be 
neither  too  coarse  nor  too  fine.  If  too  coarse  the 
impress  of  the  web  on  .the  matrix  will  appear  on  the 
reverse  side,  distorting  or  destroying  the  accuracy  of 
the  reproduction.  Moreover,  such  blankets  are  not 
sufficiently  absorbent  to  hold  the  moisture  evaporated 
from  the  form.  A  thick,  soft,  medium-priced  blanket 
is  most  economical  and  satisfactory.  When  such  blank- 
ets become  hardened  by  use  they  may  be  washed,  dried 
and  used  over  again  several  times  before  they  will  lose 
their  elastic  and  absorbent  qualities. 

Blankets  specially  designed  for  this  purpose  may 


38  STEREOTYPING. 

now  be  purchased  of  manufacturers  and  dealers.  They 
somewhat  resemble  printing-press  impression  blankets, 
but  are  thicker  and  coarser.  The  blankets  should  be 
thick  enough  to  absorb  all  the  moisture  from  the  form 
and  matrix  as  it  is  released,  in  the  form  of  steam,  by 
the  heat  of  the  steam  press. 

When  the  matrix  has  been  thoroughly  dried  the 
pressure  of  the  platen  is  released  and  the  form  with- 


ROLLING  MACHINE. 

drawn  from  the  steam  press.  The  matrix  is  now  care- 
fully removed  from  the  type,  the  edges  trimmed  with  a 
pair  of  shears,  taking  care  to  leave  sufficient  margin  to 
go  under  the  gages  of  the  casting  box  to  prevent  the 
metal  from  flowing  behind  the  matrix. 


STEREOTYPING.  39 

HADAWAY  ELECTRIC  MATRIX  DRIER. 

The  Westinghouse  Electric  &  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany are  the  selling  agents  for  this  device,  and  make 
the  following  statement : 

"  In  the  modern  newspaper  office  time  is  of  great 
importance,  particularly  in  the  production  of  the  fre- 
quent editions  of  the  afternoon  papers.  These  papers 
find  it  necessary  to  get  out  editions  at  close  intervals 
and  unexpected  events  are  liable  to  entail  sudden  and 
radical  changes  in  the  make-up.  Each  change  in  the 
make-up  of  a  page  requires  a  stereotype  matrix  from 
which  the  plates  for  the  presses  are  cast.  The  sport- 
ing edition,  in  particular,  is  a  source  of  daily  trial  and 
worry.  The  prestige  of  being  first  on  the  street  with 
the  complete  record  of  the  sporting  events  of  the  day 
is  an  asset  of  value,  and  each  paper  strains  every  nerve 
in  this  race  against  time.  In  the  morning  paper  office 
the  work  is  scheduled  so  that  the  paper  can  be  dis- 
tributed in  time  to.  meet  the  workers  on  their  way  to 
their  daily  tasks.  Transportation  conditions,  the 
weather,  etc.,  must  all  be  taken  into  account,  and  the 
forms  must  be  held  open  until  the  last  minute.  A 
specially  desirable  story  arriving  at  the  last  minute  is 
liable  to  shatter  the  regular  routine,  and  then  the  time 
of  going  to  press  is  held  back  to  the  last  minute. 

"  Owing  to  this  daily  race  with  time  the  newspaper 
offices  are  the  most  progressive  in  the  world.  The 
pressroom  and  the  composing-room  have  been  speeded 
up  by  the  use  of  the  most  modern  machinery.  The 
casting  of  the  stereotype  plates  is  done  by  an  automatic 
machine  that  finishes  them  ready  for  the  press.  The 
making  of  the  matrix  for  these  plates  has  remained 


40  STEREOTYPING. 

the   longest  step   in   the  process,  owing   to   the  time 

required  to  dry  out  the  matrix.     This  takes  several 
minutes. 


HADAWAY  ELECTRIC  MATRIX  DRIER. 

"  Steam  and  gas  heated  matrix  driers  have  been, 
heretofore,  the  only  matrix  driers  which  successfully 
withstood  the  service  in  newspaper  offices.  A  number 
of  attempts  have  been  made  to  increase  the  speed  at 
which  matrices  could  be  dried  out,  including  attempts 


STEREOTYPING.  41 

to  apply  electric  heat  to  the  process.  Owing  to  the 
localization  of  the  heating  element  so  as  to  transmit 
the  heat  directly  to  the  type  and  matrix,  it  was  evi- 
dent that  this  method  would  be  more  rapid  than  any 
other.  A  number  of  efforts  were  made  to  perfect  the 
electrically  heated  matrix  drier,  but  it  was  not  until 
three  years  ago  that  this  method  was  demonstrated  to 
be  a  commercial  success. 

"  In  order  to  understand  the  difficulties  to  be  over- 
come, it  is  necessary  to  consider  that  the  matrix  should 
be  completely  dried  in  from  three  to  five  minutes.  This 
requires  an  excessively  high  working  temperature. 
When  the  attempt  was  made  to  work  with  the  high 
temperatures  on  a  steam  or  gas  heated  matrix  drier, 
the  type  or  slugs  were  damaged.  The  beds  of  these 
presses  were  made  as  thin  as  practicable  in  order  to 
transmit  the  heat  rapidly.  This  made  it  necessary  to 
raise  them  to  an  exceedingly  high  temperature  so  that 
they  would  be  able  to  heat  the  type  rapidly.  In  prac- 
tice it  was  found  that  in  order  to  cut  down  the  time 
of  drying  the  matrix,  these  beds  had  to  be  heated  to  a 
temperature  that  caused  serious  damage  to  the  type. 
Mr.  W.  S.  Hadaway,  of  the  Hadaway  Electric  Heat- 
ing &  Engineering  Company,  New  York  city,  has 
made  a  close  study  of  this  matter,  and  in  1905  this 
company  placed  its  first  installation  of  electrically 
heated  matrix  driers  in  the  Government  Printing 
Office,  Washington.  Since  then  several  very  success- 
ful installations  have  been  made,  and  the  time  for 
thoroughly  drying  a  matrix  has  been  reduced  to  less 
than  three  minutes  in  an  installation  of  matrix  driers 
at  the  plant  of  the  Philadelphia  Bulletin.  This  record 


42  STEREOTYPING. 

is  made  by  a  Hadaway  heater.  These  driers  are 
equipped  with  safeguards  to  prevent  their  overheating, 
and  in  spite  of  their  high  working  temperature  cause 
no  damage  to  the  Linotype  slugs.  The  ability  to  main- 
tain a  high  working  temperature  in  the  Hadaway 
matrix  drier  arises  from  the  heavy  cast-iron  bedplate 
in  which  the  heating  element  is  hermetically  sealed. 
This  bed  acts  as  a  thermal-  storage  reservoir  and  its 
upper  surface  is  maintained  at  a  very  high  heat  by  the 
heating  element  embedded  just  below  this  surface.  The 
comparatively  cool  form  rapidly  absorbs  this  surface 
heat  and  is  quickly  raised  to  a  temperature  sufficient  to 
thoroughly  dry  out  the  matrix  in  a  trifle  less  than  three 
minutes,  or  in  from  one-third  to  one-half  the  time 
required  by  steam  or  gas  heated  matrix  driers." 

THE  MOLDING  MACHINE. 

The  Rolling  Machine  or  Molding  Machine  was 
invented  by  James  Delegana  in  1861.  It  consists  of 
two  heavy  cast-iron  cylinders,  mounted  in  a  suitable 
frame,  one  above  the  other.  The  ends  of  the  upper  roll 
are  provided  with  gear  wheels  which  engage  the  racks 
of  a  bed  traveling  between  the  rolls.  The  shaft  of  the 
upper  roll  extends  beyond  the  frame  of  the  machine 
and  terminates  in  a  worm  wheel  which  is  driven  by  a 
worm  supported  by  brackets  attached  to  the  side  frame. 
By  means  of  tight  and  loose  pulleys  on  the  worm  shaft, 
and  suitable  mechanism  for  shifting  the  belts,  the  roll 
may  be  made  to  revolve  in  either  direction,  thus  moving 
the  bed  forward  or  back  at  the  will  of  the  operator. 
The  purpose  of  the  machine  is  to  utilize  steam  power 
to  perform  the  laborious  work  of  molding.  In  opera- 


STEREOTYPING.  43 

tion  the  form  is  slid  onto  the  bed  of  the  machine  and 
there  made  ready  for  molding  in  the  usual  manner. 
The  flong  is  laid  on  and  covered  with  a  thick  felt 
blanket,  and  the  form  passed  through  the  rolls  and 
back  again.  The  depressions  in  the  matrix  are  then 
packed  and  the  form  dried  in  the  usual  manner. 

EFFICIENCY  OF  MACHINE  MOLDS. 

The  difficulty  with  machine  molds  seems  always  to 
have  been  either  lack  of  depth,  particularly  in  the  bowls 
of  the  type,  or  lack  of  sharpness  of  impression.  It  was 
found  that  the  flong  as  ordinarily  made  for  the  brush 
process  were  not  suitable  for  the  machine  because  there 
was  so  much  water  in  the  paste  and  paper  that  it  was 
forced  through  the  flong  by  the  pressure  of  the  roller, 
making  the  surface  of  the  matrix  rough  and  uneven; 
and,  to  add  to  the  vexation,  the  paste  soaked  into  the 
paper,  making  the  flong  hard  and  difficult  to  impress. 
To  overcome  these  difficulties  various  compositions 
have  been  tried,  one  of  which  has  for  one  of  its  ingre- 
dients an  acid  which  acts  on  the  paper  as  a  solvent, 
reducing  it  to  a  semi-pulpous  condition.  In  this  state 
the  flong  is  easily  impressed,  but  the  depth  so  gained 
is  largely  at  the  expense  of  sharpness  of  impression, 
due  to  the  paper  being  reduced  by  the  solvent  to  a 
mushy  condition.  A  better  method  of  obtaining  the 
necessary  depth,  and  one  which  will  not  destroy  or 
change  the  nature  of  the  paper,  may  be  found  in  the 
use  of  a  paste  which,  instead  of  soaking  into  the  paper, 
will  form  a  coating  on  its  surface,  thereby  giving  to  the 
flong  a  somewhat  waxlike  quality  which  insures  a  suffi- 
cient depth  of  impression  without  subjecting  the  type  to 


44  STEREOTYPING. 

injurious  pressure  from  the  roller.  There  are  various 
recipes  for  a  paste  which  would  fill  the  requirements 
noted,  but  the  essential  feature  of  all  is  the  employment 
of  as  large  a  proportion  as  possible  of  a  mineral  or 
chalk  ingredient.  A  composition  which  will  be  found 
in  every  way  satisfactory  is  described  in  Chapter  II. 
This  paste  may  be  used  with  ordinary  matrix  paper, 
but  is  best  adapted  to  use  in  connection  with  a  softer 
quality  of  paper,  such  as  is  made  especially  for  the  pur- 
pose by  several  paper  mills  in  this  country. 

The  impression  blanket  used  on  the  machine  should 
be  of  extra  heavy  felt,  and  to  insure  good  work  must 
be  kept  dry.  It  is  advisable,  therefore,  to  have  on  hand 
a  sufficient  number  of  blankets  so  that  it  may  not  be 
necessary  to  use  one  a  second  time  before  it  has  been 
dried.  An  extra  heavy  press  blanket  may  be  made  to 
answer  for  the  machine  work,  but  it  is  better  to  use  the 
special  blankets  which  are  now  made  for  the  purpose, 
as  they  are  nearly  or  quite  double  the  thickness  of  a 
press  blanket,  and  therefore  admit  of  a  deeper  impres- 
sion and  are  a  better  protection  to  the  type. 

An  improved  Rolling  Machine,  invented  about  1890, 
has  a  device  for  quickly  adjusting  the  impression  of  the 
roller  so  that  the  pressure  may  be  increased,  if  desired, 
between  the  reciprocations  of  the  bed  plate.  This 
machine  is  designed  for  the  production  of  an  extra  deep 
matrix  such  as  is  required  for  the  production  of  flat 
stereotype  plates  which  are  worked  on  presses  carrying 
soft  impression  blankets,  and  which,  if  shallow,  would 
be  apt  to  smut  the  paper. 

The  improved  machine  differs  from  the  ordinary 
machine  in  the  important  respect  that  the  journal  bear- 


STEREOTYPING.  45 

ings  of  the  upper  cylinder  rest  upon  spiral  springs  of 
sufficient  strength  to  raise  the  cylinder  vertically  away 
from  the  bed  plate,  except  when  held  down  by  screws 
which  impinge  against  the  upper  surface  of  the  bear- 
ings. These  screws  are  provided  with  lever  handles 
which  are  connected  by  a  cross  piece  pivoted  to  them, 
so  that  the  workman,  by  moving  the  cross  piece  to  the 
right  or  left,  operates  the  screws  over  the  bearings  of 
both  ends  of  the  cylinder  simultaneously,  and  thereby 
depresses  or  raises  the  cylinder  at  will. 

In  operation,  the  form  is  passed  under  the  roller  in 
the  usual  manner ;  the  cross  piece  is  then  moved  a  few 
inches  to  the  left,  thus  lowering  the  cylinder  slightly, 
and  the  form  returned  under  the  roller ;  then  if  a  still 
greater  depth  is  desired,  the  cross  piece  is  moved  sev- 
eral inches  to  the  right,  the  back  laid  on  the  matrix,  and 
the  form  again  passed  under  the  roller,  and,  before  it 
is  returned,  the  cylinder  is  once  more  depressed.  In 
this  manner  four  distinct  squeezes  are  given  to  the 
matrix,  thus  producing  a  depth  which  it  would  be 
impossible  to  obtain  with  a  single  impression,  and 
assuring  the  additional  advantage  of  producing  perfect 
adhesion  between  the  matrix  and  the  back.  It  is  also 
found  that  matrices  made  in  this  way  require  no  pack- 
ing except  in  large  places,  as  the  different  impressions 
crowd  the  flong  effectually  into  the  depressions  of  the 
form  and  give  to  the  spaces  a  curve  and  consequently  a 
strength  sufficient  to  resist  the  weight  of  the  metal. 

THE  SCHREINER  MOLDING  AND  DRYING  MACHINE. 

A  more  recent  invention  along  this  line  is  called  a 
rapid  matrix  maker,  but  perhaps  a  more  accurate  name 


46 


STEREOTYPING. 


would  be  a  rapid  matrix  molding  and  drying  machine, 
as  it  takes  the  flong  at  the  time  when  it  is  ready  to  be 
beaten  or  rolled  into  the  form. 

The  device  consists  of  a  steam-heated  bed  like  that 
of  an  ordinary  steam  table,  upon  which  is  mounted  a 


IBHMPP^ 

SCHREINER  MATRIX-MAKING  MACHINE. 

cylinder  bearing  upon  its  face  a  series  of  cones,  which 
operate  upon  a  corresponding  series  of  bars  which  form 
what  may  be  termed  a  sectional  platen. 

The  form  upon  which  a  flong  has  been  placed,  on 
which  suitable  blankets  are  laid,  is  placed  under  the 
sectional  platen,  the  power  is  then  applied  which  causes 
the  cylinder  to  revolve  and  brings  the  central  cam, 


STEREOTYPING.  47 

which  is  longer  than  the  others,  into  contact  with  an 
anti-friction  roller  on  top  of  the  central  section  of  the 
platen  and  forces  it  down  on  to  the  blanket  and 
impresses  the  flong  into  the  form. 

This  in  turn  is  followed  by  similar  action  by  the 
other  cams  upon  each  side  of  the  center,  until  the  pres- 
sure is  evenly  applied  to  all  the  sections  covering  the 
form.  The  power  is  then  automatically  stopped  and 
the  pressure  allowed  to  continue  until  the  flong  or 
matrix  is  thoroughly  dried.  This  takes  from  two  to 
three  minutes,  which  is  a  great  saving  over  the  average 
time  of  molding  and  drying  the  matrix. 

With  this  machine  one  handling  of  the  form  covers 
the  whole  operation,  in  place  of  the  double  one  of 
molding  and  then  placing  the  form  under  pressure  on 
the  steam  table  to  dry.  It  is  also  said  that  there  is  no 
possibility  of  a  "  double  impression,"  or  of  rolling  the 
type  off  its  feet  as  sometimes  happens  in  the  prevailing 
method  of  molding,  as  the  pressure  is  directly  down 
into  the  form  and  constant,  not  being  released  until  the 
matrix  is  dry. 

EXPERTS  REQUIRED  FOR  ROLLING  MACHINES. 

The  operation  of  the  rolling  machine  should  never 
be  intrusted  to  a  novice,  for,  although  type  can  be 
molded  without  injury  if  the  machine  is  properly  and 
carefully  handled,  in  the  hands  of  a  careless  or  inex- 
perienced workman  great  damage  may  be  done  by  sub- 
jecting it  to  unnecessary  pressure.  This  occurs  when 
an  attempt  is  made  to  obtain  a  deep  impression  in  a 
flong  too  hard  for  the  purpose. 


48  STEREOTYPING. 


CHAPTER  IV. 
COLD    PROCESS    STEREOTYPING. 

THE  problem  of  drying  a  matrix  without  heating 
the  type  is  one  which  has  received  the  attention 
of  publishers  and  stereotypers  ever  since  the  papier- 
mache   process   of   stereotyping  was  first  applied   to 
newspaper  work. 

The  object  of  such  a  process  would  be  twofold  - 
first,  to  avoid  the  danger  of  injuring  the  type  by  over- 
heating, and,  second,  to  save  time  in  drying.  By  the 
steam  press  method  of  drying  the  type  must  first  be 
heated  before  the  matrix  can  be  dried.  A  large  pro- 
portion of  the  time  required  for  drying  is  consumed  in 
this  way.  If  a  process  could  be  devised  whereby  the 
matrix  could  be  dried  without  thus  heating  the  type,  it 
is  obvious  that  several  minutes  could  be  saved  which 
would  be  of  immense  value  to  metropolitan  publishers. 

That  the  desirability  of  such  a  method  of  drying  has 
been  appreciated  by  those  interested  is  shown  by  the 
fact  that  many  thousands  of  dollars  have  been  expended 
in  experiments  having  this  object  in  view. 

It  is  obviously  a  difficult  matter  to  dry  wet  paper 
without  shrinking  it,  and  recognizing  this  fact  many 
efforts  have  been  made  to  mold  in  dry  paper.  The 
essential  feature  of  dry  stereotyping  paper  is  the 
porosity  which  is  produced  in  the  pulp  by  chemical 
actions.  This  dry  flong  is  supplied  by  the  makers  ready 


STEREOTYPING.  49 

for  use,  and  the  results  obtained  are  fairly  satisfactory 
for  ordinary  letterpress  work.  The  dry  process  is  not 
suitable,  however,  for  the  reproduction  of  half-tone 
engraving  or  fine  work  of  any  description.  The  matrix 
is  made  by  laying  a  sheet  of  the  dry  flong  on  the  form, 
covering  it  with  a  piece  of  felt  press  blanket  and  run- 
ning it  through  the  rolling  machine. 

The  matrix  thus  made  may  be  placed  at  once  in  the 
casting  box.  No  further  drying  is  required.  It  is 
therefore  the  quickest  known  method  of  stereotyping, 
and  for  this  reason  is  popular  for  certain  kinds  of  work. 

Another  cold  process,  which  produces  very  credit- 
able results,  is  the  invention  of  Henry  Kahrs,  New 
York.  By  this  method  the  flong  is  faced  with  a  com- 
position which  does  not  shrink  in  drying  and  which 
insures  a  perfectly  smooth  printing  surface.  The 
matrix  is  composed  of  one  sheet  of  special  matrix  paper 
and  two  sheets  of  common  news  paper,  all  three  coated 
with  the  composition.  The  composition  is  furnished  by 
the  inventor  in  the  form  of  fine  powder  and  is  prepared 
for  use  by  mixing  with  water.  If  preferred,  the  matrix 
sheets  may  be  purchased  already  coated,  in  which  case 
they  require  to  be  dampened  slightly  to  prepare  them 
for  use.  The  matrix  is  dried  by  laying  it,  face  up,  on  a 
warm  iron  table  or  other  flat  heated  surface. 

Another  cold  process  is  the  invention  of  Friedrich 
Schreiner,  and,  like  the  Kahrs  process,  its  essential 
feature  is  the  coating  of  the  matrix  paper.  The  sheets 
already  prepared  may  be  purchased  from  the  inventor. 


50  STEREOTYPING. 

THE  NIKELLO  PROCESS. 

The  Nikello  process  consists  in  first  making  the 
matrix  in  such  a  manner  that  it  will  withstand  greater 
heat  and  thereby  admit  of  the  use  of  a  harder  and  more 
dense  metal  than  is  usually  possible.  By  combining 
these  features  there  is  produced  a  sharper  and  smoother 
cast. 

One  of  the  most  advantageous  points  about  this 
process  is  found  in  the  fact  that  practically  any  number 
of  casts  can  be  taken  from  the  same  matrix.  This 
number  is  only  limited  by  a  remote  possibility  of  the 
matrix  face  becoming  cracked  by  careless  handling  or 
accident. 

In  all  previous  attempts  at  stereotyping  fine  half- 
tone screen  work,  as  a  rule,  but  one  cast  could  be  made 
from  a  matrix,  and  in  many  cases  this  was  not  a  suc- 
cess because  the  heat  of  the  metal  destroyed  the  fine 
dot  replicas  formed  on  the  face  of  the  flong,  and  in  the 
use  of  plaster  processes  the  mold  is  broken  when  it  is 
removed  from  the  cast. 

The  novelty  of  this  particular  flong  consists  in 
applying  a  pasty  composition  to  the  usual  paper  sur- 
face and  allowing  it  to  set  slightly,  when  it  is  pressed 
directly  on  to  the  face  of  an  oiled  block  or  form. 
As  there  is  absolutely  no  intermediary  substance 
between  the  face  of  the  type  or  relief  surface  of  the 
engraving  and  the  composition,  an  unusually  bright 
surface  is  secured  in  the  finished  matrix.  The  surface 
of  the  walls  of  the  molded  impression  when  dry  are 
said  to  be  as  smooth  and  hard  as  porcelain,  at  the  same 
time  retaining  the  flexibility  of  the  usual  flong. 

The  composition  does  not  contain  anything  gran- 


STEREOTYPING.  51 

ular,  so  that  the  letter  or  other  faces  must  be  exact 
replicas  of  the  originals ;  it  can  be  applied  to  the  sur- 
face of  the  flong  or  prepared  in  the  ordinary  way 
according  to  the  custom  of  the  stereotyper,  or  if  the 
time  necessary  to  prepare  layers  of  tissue  is  to  be  elimi- 
nated the  composition  can  be  applied  to  special  backing 
paper. 

In  whatever  way  it  is  prepared  the  flong  will  keep 
in  serviceable  condition  for  several  days,  because  the 
paste  is  treated  with  a  special  preservative.  The  pow- 
der from  which  the  paste  is  made  is  put  up  in  air-tight 
cans,  so  will  be  free  from  deterioration  indefinitely. 

The  flong  may  be  beaten  in  with  a  brush  as  usual, 
but  it  is  recommended  by  the  makers  to  use  a  rolling 
press.  It  is  claimed  that  the  depth  secured  is  practi- 
cally the  same  as  in  electrotypes.  The  matrix  is  dried 
from  either  the  face  or  back  of  the  type,  but  in  the 
former  case  the  drying  is  much  slower,  a  gain  being 
found  in  the  possibility  of  leaving  cuts  on  their  original 
bases.  An  ordinary  fire,  gas  or  steam  chamber  may  be 
used.  The  casting  process  is  exactly  similar  to  ordi- 
nary procedure. 

NICKEL-FACING. 

Other  features  of  this  process  are  found  in  the 
special  treatment  of  the  cast  face  of  the  stereotype, 
electrolytically,  so  as  to  coat  the  printing  surfaces  with 
a  thin  nickel  coating  that  protects  the  face  from  wear 
because  of  the  hardness  of  the  nickel.  Of  course,  casts 
can  be  printed  from  direct,  as  is  usually  done,  but  the 
nickel  facing  produces  a  smoother  and  denser  printing 
surface  which  will  take  ink  from  the  printing  rollers 


52  STEREOTYPING. 

more  uniformly  than  plain  stereos,  thus  avoiding  the 
gray  effect  in  the  print  so  frequently  present  when 
nickel-coated  stereos  are  not  used. 

There  is  not  the  complexity  in  electrically  coating 
the  cast  with  nickel  as  would  ordinarily  be  imagined. 
The  electric  current  may  be  supplied  by  a  battery  or 
small  dynamo;  the  whole  time  consumed  is  but  from 
ten  to  fifteen  minutes,  and  more  than  one  plate  can  be 
done  at  a  single  operation.  There  is  little  or  no  atten- 
tion required,  as  the  nickel  anodes,  after  the  bath  is 
once  started,  will  automatically  replenish  the  solution. 
The  hardness  of  nickel  is  so  well  understood  that  no 
specific  reference  to  this  quality  need  be  made. 

It  is  in  the  field  of  half-tone  reproduction  that  this 
process  is  specially  adapted  because  of  the  faithfulness 
of  the  nickello  method  of  molding  and  the  wearing 
qualities  of  the  cast.  Ordinary  stereos  may  stand  up  to 
25,000  impressions,  but  a  nickeled  stereo  will  be  avail- 
able for  ten  times  this  number  of  impressions,  and  as 
the  matrix  is  good  for  many  re-casts,  duplicates'  can  be 
produced  quickly  and  cheaply  for  further  use  on  the 
same  press  or  to  supply  forms  for  other  presses  run- 
ning on  the  same  edition. 


STEREOTYPING.  53 


CHAPTER  V. 
CASTING. 

Q  TEREOTYPE  furnaces  may  be  round  or  square ; 
O  the  former  are  made  of  boiler  iron  and  the  latter 
of  cast  iron,  and  in  both  cases  are  lined  with  fire  brick, 
and  furnished  with  grates,  fire  box  and  ash  pit.  They 
are  set  on  iron  legs  or  feet,  so  as  to  leave  an  air  space 
under  them,  and  the  floor,  if  wood,  is  protected  from 
the  heat  by  a  sheet-iron  covering.  All  metal  furnaces 
should  be  furnished  with  a  sheet-iron  bonnet,  connected 
with  the  chimney  flue,  to  provide  a  means  of  escape  for 
the  smoke  and  poisonous  gases.  The  bonnet  is  shaped 
like  an  inverted  cone,  with  the  tip  cut  off  to  allow  the 
smoke  to  escape  into  the  pipe  above.  One  section  of 
the  pipe  is  riveted  to  the  cone  and  made  smaller  than  the 
section  into  which  it  telescopes,  thus  permitting  the 
bonnet  to  be  raised  and  lowered  at  will.  On  opposite 
sides  of  the  bonnet  ears  are  riveted,  to  which  small  wire 
cables  are  attached.  These  cables  run  over  pulleys  in 
the  ceiling  and  are  secured  to  counterbalance  weights 
which  hold  the  bonnet  suspended  at  any  desired  distance 
above  the  pot.  The  bonnet  is  provided  with  a  door 
through  which  the  metal  may  be  stirred  and  skimmed. 

Stereotype  furnaces  are  made  of  various  sizes,  their 
capacity  ranging  from  100  to  10,000  pounds  of  metal. 

On  page  57  is  illustrated  a  furnace  of  the  size  most 


54 


STEREOTYPING. 


commonly  used  by  the  larger  foundries.     It  will  hold 
about  2,000  pounds  of  metal. 

A  furnace  of  new  design  is  illustrated  herewith, 
which  has  been  adopted  by  many  of  the  larger  news- 
papers. The  kettle  will  hold  several  tons  of  metal,  and 


PUMP  FURNACE. 

is  equipped  with  a  device  by  means  of  which  the  metal 
is  pumped  into  the  casting  boxes,  thus  doing  away  with 
the  laborious  work  of  pouring  the  metal  with  ladles. 
The  furnace  is  also  equipped  with  a  thermometer  which 
indicates  the  proper  heat  for  casting,  and  eliminates  all 
guesswork. 


STEREOTYPING. 


55 


A  few  of  the  large  newspaper  offices  are  equipped 
with  automatic  machines,  which  not  only  cast  the 
plates,  but  shave,  trim  and  deliver  them  ready  for  the 
press  at  the  rate  of  three  to  four  per  minute.  This 
machine  is  called  the  Autoplate,  and  is  the  climax  of 


AUTOPLATE. 

labor-saying  mechanism  for  plate-making.  At  one  end 
of  the  machine  is  the  casting  mechanism  in  which  the 
matrix  is  secured  (the  operation  of  securing  the  matrix 
occupies  less  time  and  may  be  done  with  more  con- 
venience than  with  the  present  hand-manipulated  cast- 
ing box).  Once  the  matrix  is  in  position  the  operator 
at  the  casting  end  of  the  machine  throws  down  a  con- 
trol lever  and  the  casting  apparatus  proceeds  to  auto- 


56  STEREOTYPING. 

matically  cast  and  deliver  plates  to  the  finishing  mech- 
anism which  is  structurally  joined  to  it.  As  each  cast 
is  ejected  from  the  casting  chamber  it  is  automatically 
moved  into  the  finishing  device,  where,  likewise  auto- 
matically, it  is  trimmed,  head,  foot  and  sides,  passed 
out,  its  bevels  finished  and  delivered  ready  for  printing. 
If  large  blanks  throughout  the  body  of  the  matrix  are 
not  properly  packed  they  will  have  to  be  dressed  out 
by  hand,  but  all  other  finishing  the  machine  takes  care 
of.  The  autoplate  is  so  arranged  that  a  change  may  be 
made  from  one  matrix  to  another  with  the  loss  of  but 
one  casting  operation;  thus  it  is  easy  (and  results  in 
the  loss  of  but  the  fraction  of  a  minute)  to  change  from 
the  casting  of  one  page  to  that  of  another.  It  should 
be  understood  that  the  change  of  matrices,  which 
requires  the  stoppage  of  casting,  in  no  wise  interferes 
with  the  operation  of  finishing  all  the  plates  that  are  in 
the  machine  at  the  time  of  the  change.  From  three  to 
four  men  are  necessary  to  attend  the  machine ;  one  ,to 
look  after  the  casting  operation,  another  to  look  after 
the  supply  of  metal  and  the  third  or  fourth  to  inspect 
the  plates  as  they  are  delivered  and  lift  them  off  the 
machine. 

COMPOSITION  OF  STEREOTYPE  METAL. 

Stereotype  metal  is  an  alloy  of  tin,  lead  and  anti- 
mony, the  proportions  of  each  varying  in  different 
grades.  Metal  which  is  used  over  and  over  again,  as  it 
is  in  newspaper  foundries,  must  be  made  of  the  purest 
ingredients,  and  should  contain  a  larger  proportion  of 
tin  than  an  alloy  which  is  to  be  cast  but  once,  or  which 
goes  out  to  the  country  publishers  in  the  form  of  news 


STEREOTYPING. 


57 


plates  and  comes  back  to  be  melted  over  but  once  in  a 
month  or  six  weeks.  For  newspaper  work  the  propor- 
tions are  about  as  follows :  Lead  75  pounds,  antimony 


' 


MELTING  Pox. 


17  pounds,  tin  7  pounds.  For  book  work,  lead  80 
pounds,  antimony  15  pounds,  tin  5  pounds.  For 
country  plate  work,  lead  85  pounds,  antimony  12 
pounds,  tin  3  pounds.  These  formulas  are  not  exact, 
for  no  two  makers  use  exactly  the  same  rule,  but  they 


58  STEREOTYPING. 

are  approximately  so.  The  antimony  is  added  to  the 
lead  to  give  hardness  to  the  metal  and  to  reduce  con- 
traction when  cooling,  and  the  tin  acts  as  a  flux.  Some 
stereotypers  buy  the  materials  and  mix  their  own 
metal,  but  it  can  always  be  bought  of  reputable  dealers, 
ready  mixed,  cheaper  than  the  materials  can  be  pur- 
chased separately  in  small  quantities.  If,  however, 
the  workman  should  be  obliged  to  mix  his  own  metal, 
the  antimony  should  be  melted  first,  as  it  is  the  hardest 
of  the  three  metals  and  a  high  temperature  is  required 
to  fuse  it.  The  lead  should  be  added  next  and  the 
tin  last.  By  observing  this  order  the  temperature 
may  be  immediately  reduced  after  the  antimony  is 
fused,  whereas,  if  the  lead  were  treated  first  the  heat 
of  the  furnace  would  have  to  be  continued  until  the 
antimony  were  melted,  during  which  time  the  waste  of 
lead  by  oxidation  would  be  considerable.  The  tem- 
perature necessary  to  melt  these  metals  is  as  follows: 
For  antimony,  842  degrees ;  for  lead,  612  degrees ;  for 
tin,  442  degrees.  Stereotypes  may  be  cast  from  metal 
made  of  old  materials,  such  as  old  type,  lead  pipe,  tea- 
case  lead,  etc.,  but  the  product  is  not  always  satisfac- 
tory, though  it  may  be  made  to  answer  in  some  cases. 
Type  metal  contains  larger  proportions  of  antimony 
and  tin  than  stereotype  metal,  and  requires,  therefore, 
an  addition  of  lead  to  make  it  suitable  for  stereotyping. 
As  type  founders  do  not  all  use  the  same  formula  in 
mixing  their  metals,  the  amount  of  lead  which  should 
be  added  can  not  be  definitely  stated,  but  will  average 
about  fifty  pounds  to  one  hundred  pounds  of  type.  In 
mixing  old  metals  care  must  be  taken  to  throw  out 
every  scrap  of  zinc,  a  small  piece  of  which  would  ruin 


STEREOTYPING.  59 

a  large  quantity   of  what   would   otherwise  be  good 
metal. 

Metals,  whether  new  or  old,  should  be  mixed  in  a 
pot  covered  by  a  sheet-iron  canopy,  or  bonnet,  which  is 
connected  with  a  chimney  flue,  as  the  vapors  arising 
from  them  are  injurious  to  health. 

CASTING  BOXES. 

Casting  boxes  are  formed  by  two  cast-iron  plates, 
hinged  together  at  one  end  or  side,  and  separated  from 
each  other  by  thin  strips  of  steel,  called  gages,  whose 
thickness  determines  the  thickness  of  the  stereotype. 
In  operation,  the  matrix  is  laid  on  the  lower  plate  and 
surrounded  on  three  sides  by  the  gages  which  rest  upon 
the  side  margins  and  one  end  margin  of  the  matrix. 
The  upper  plate  or  cover  is  then  closed  down  upon  the 
gages  and  clamped  fast  to  the  lower  plate,  thus  forming 
a  box,  with  one  end  open  to  receive  the  molten  metal. 
It  is  essential  that  the  box  shall  be  several  inches  longer 
than  the  desired  stereotype,  in  order  that  space  may  be 
provided  for  the  impurities  and  air  bubbles  which  will 
rise  to  the  top  when  the  metal  is  poured.  To  prevent 
the  metal  from  running  behind  the  matrix,  which  is 
much  shorter  than  the  box,  a  paper  or  sheet  iron  exten- 
sion, called  the  tail-piece,  is  laid  under  the  gages  upon 
the  upper  margin  of  the  matrix. 

Casting  boxes  in  which  full  page  plates  for  rotary 
presses  are  cast,  are  semi-cylindrical  in  form,  the  lower 
plate  being  concave  and  the  cover  convex ;  the  curves 
corresponding  exactly  to  the  plate  cylinder  of  the  press. 
Curved  stereotype  plates  are  locked  upon  the  press 
cylinders  by  clamps  operating  against  the  ends  of  the 


60  STEREOTYPING. 

plates.  That  the  lock  may  be  absolutely  secure,  the 
plate  ends  and  clamps  are  beveled,  the  latter  over- 
lapping the  former  and  holding  it  firmly  in  position. 
The  angle  on  the  plate  is  produced  at  one  end  by  the 
machinery  which  cuts  off  the  jet  or  tail,  and  at  the  other 


CURVED  CASTING  Box. 


STEREOTYPING.  61 

end  by  the  end  gage  of  the  casting  box,  which  is 
beveled  on  its  under  side  to  form  a  recess  into  which 
the  metal  flows,  thereby  producing  a  corresponding 
angle  on  that  end  of  the  plate. 

The  convex  cover  of  the  box  is  grooved  at  regular 
intervals,  in  the  direction  of  its  curve,  and  the  metal, 
flowing  into  these  grooves,  forms  ribs  on  the  back  of 
the  plate.  In  finishing  the  plate  to  the  exact  thickness 
required  these  ribs  only  are  shaved.  This  saves  metal 
and  work  in  finishing. 

The  ordinary  curved  casting  box  is  supported  in  an 
iron  frame  on  trunnions  which  are  located  near  the  cen- 
ter of  greatest  weight,  and  by  the  tripping  of  a  dog, 
which  is  operated  by  a  hand  lever,  may  be  easily  and 
rapidly  swung  from  a  horizontal  to  a  perpendicular 
position  and  vice  versa.  These  casting  boxes  used  in 
the  larger  newspaper  offices  are  necessarily  very  heavy, 
and  to  assist  the  workmen  in  handling  them  a  counter- 
balance weight  is  sometimes  attached  by  means  of  a 
cable  or  chain  and  grooved  pulley  to  the  cover.  In 
another  form  of  curved  casting  box  the  cover  is  not 
hinged  to  the  box,  but  remains  rigid  in  a  perpendicular 
position.  The  object  of  the  invention  is  to  form  a 
casting  box  that  can  be  easily  and  quickly  opened  and 
closed,  and  that  will  move  away  parallel,  or  nearly  so, 
when  the  parts  are  set  in  motion,  thereby  readily  sepa- 
rating the  concave  side  of  the  stereotype  plate  from  the 
core  block. 

The  machine  is  made  with  a  suitable  frame  for  sup- 
porting the  core  block,  and  a  movable  casting  box.  The 
core  block  stands  nearly  vertical  and  is  stationary. 
The  casting  box  rests  upon  trunnions  connected  by 


62  STEREOTYPING. 

standard-moving  carriages  having  slideways  upon  the 
frame.  The  carriages  are  moved  back  and  forth  by 
links  and  crank  pins  to  disks  upon  a  shaft  which  is 
operated  by  a  lever  and  pawls  and  a  ratchet-wheel  upon 


FLAT  CASTING  Box. 

the  shaft.  The  casting  box  is  held  by  a  catch  and 
drawn  forward  in  an  almost  perpendicular  position  in 
contact  with  the  semi-cylindrical  core  block,  there  being 
a  space  necessary  for  receiving  the  melted  metal  which 
is  cast  to  form  the  stereotype  plate.  When  the  plate  is 
to  be  removed  the  casting  box  is  forced  back  from  the 
core  block,  carrying  with  it  the  stereotype.  It  is  then 
tipped  into  a  horizontal  position  and  supported  by  a 
rest,  while  the  stereotype  is  being  removed  or  the 
matrix  secured  in  position. 


STEREOTYPING.  63 

SPEED  IN  STEREOTYPING. 

In  newspaper  stereotyping  speed  is  one  of  the  great- 
est requisites,  and  where  a  large  number  of  plates  are 
required  two  or  more  boxes  are  provided  in  order  that 
one  cast  may  be  poured  while  another  is  cooling.  To 
still  further  facilitate  the  work  the  covers  of  the  boxes 
are  made  with  a  concave  recess  on  their  upper  surfaces 
and  into  the  receptacles  thus  formed  water  is  poured 
occasionally  to  cool  the  cover,  which  otherwise  would, 
after  a  few  casts,  become  extremely  hot,  thereby  seri- 
ously retarding  the  setting  of  the  cast.  When  the  cover 
is  swung  up  to  remove  the  cast  the  water  runs  from  the 
lower  end  into  an  iron  pan  provided  for  the  purpose. 
In  the  box  previously  described  where  the  cover 
remains  stationary  the  top  is  covered,  forming  a  closed 
basin,  and  through  this  a  spray  of  water  is  kept  run- 
ning by  means  of  pipe  connections  with  the  usual  water 
supply  and  sewer. 

Casting  boxes  for  casting  flat  newspaper  plates 
differ  from  those  just  described.  The  box  and  cover 
are  flat  instead  of  semi-cylindrical,  and  the  size  and 
shape  of  the  rib  grooves  in  the  cover  which  form  the 
legs  on  the  back  of  the  plate  are  not  the  same.  Most 
newspaper  plates  are  cast  thin ;  from  one  to  two  picas, 
1-6  to  1-3  inch  (.1666  to  .333  inch)  in  thickness,  the 
additional  height  required  being  obtained  by  mounting 
them  on  blocks  or  bases.  This  is  accomplished  in  a 
variety  of  ways,  but  usually  by  interlocking  one  of  the 
legs  of  the  plate  with  the  upper  surface  of  the  base, 
either  directly,  or  by  means  of  a  device  that  will 
quickly  lock  the  plate  and  base  together  in  the  chase 
and  yet  at  the  same  time  permit  them  to  be  readily  sepa- 


64  STEREOTYPING. 

rated.  In  either  case  one  or  more  of  the  legs  of  the 
plate  must  be  dovetailed  or  recessed  by  special  machin- 
ery. It  is  obvious,  therefore,  that  the  disposition  of  the 


5-CoLUMN    Box,   SHUT,   SHOWING  AUTOMATIC   CLAMPING  ARRANGEMENT. 


STEREOTYPING.  65 

grooves  in  the  cover  of  the  casting  box  which  form  the 
legs  of  the  cast  plate  must  correspond  as  nearly  as  may 
be  to  the  requirements  of  the  lock-up. 

Plates  which  are  secured  by  means  of  a  bevel  or 
rabbet  cut  on  the  sides  or  ends  are  usually  formed  with 
legs  to  facilitate  shaving,  but  in  this  case  the  legs  do  not 
require  to  be  located  with  the  same  exactness  as  with 
the  former. 

Casting  boxes  for  book  or  job  work  where  the  plates 
are  to  be  mounted  on  wood  are  made  without  grooves 
in  the  cover  and  with  gages  one  pica  in  thickness.  The 
cover  of  the  job  box,  if  small,  is  usually  secured,  when 
closed,  by  a  single  clamp  consisting  of  a  screw  operated 
by  a  hand  wheel  and  mounted  in  a  swinging  arm  which 
is  pivoted  at  one  end  to  the  side  frame  of  the  casting 
box.  Casting  boxes  more  than  ten  or  twelve  inches  in 
width,  however,  should  be  clamped  at  each  corner  to 
prevent  the  cover  from  springing.  This  is  usually 
accomplished  by  swinging  clamps  pivoted  to  the  under 
side  of  the  box  and  provided  with  T-head  hand  screws 
in  the  upper  or  projecting  ends. 

Another  form  of  casting  box  is  employed  for  both 
job  and  newspaper  work  when  a  type-high  cast  (.918 
inch)  is  required.  In  this  box  cores  or  raised  projec- 
tions are  riveted  to  the  box  or  are  machined  out  of  the 
solid  iron  for  the  purpose  of  economizing  as  much  as 
possible  in  the  weight  of  the  cast.  The  metal  running 
between  the  cores  forms  the  legs,  of  the  finished  plate. 
These  boxes  are  made  to  cast  any  number  of  columns, 
from  one  to  six,  or  more,  and  are  a  great  convenience 
to  publishers  who  have  not  the  facilities  for  mounting 
thin  or  separable  plates. 


66  STEREOTYPING. 

On  page  64  is  illustrated  an  improved  casting  box 
which  consists  in  an  automatic  clamping  device  by 
means  of  which  the  workman  is  relieved  of  all  responsi- 
bility in  this  direction  and  the  time  consumed  in  operat- 
ing the  usual  hand  clamps  is  entirely  saved. 

There  are  various  other  forms  of  casting  boxes 
designed  for  special  work,  but  as  they  are  all  modifica- 
tions of  those  already  mentioned,  it  will  be  unnecessary 
to  describe  them  here. 

CAUSES  OF  FAILURE. 

Casting  stereotype  plates  is  apparently  a  simple 
matter,  yet  the  amateur  and  even  the  expert  will  often 
find  difficulties  to  overcome.  The  most  common 
trouble  is,  perhaps,  the  "  shrink,"  i.  e.,  a  depression  in 
the  face  of  the  cast,  which  sometimes  appears  in  one 
spot,  but  most  often  in  streaks  down  the  center  of  the 
column.  This  shrinkage  is  frequently  caused  by  poor 
metal,  but  is  sometimes  due  to  unequal  cooling  of  the 
metal.  Iron  is  a  good  conductor  of  heat,  and  once 
heated  is  slow  to  cool.  The  face  of  the  cast  is  protected 
from  the  hot  iron  box  by  the  matrix  which  comes 
between  the  cast  and  the  iron  box,  while  the  back  of  the 
cast  is  in  direct  contact  with  the  heated  iron  cover.  The 
result  is  that  the  face  of  the  cast  cools  more  rapidly  than 
the  back,  and  the  natural  contraction  of  the  cooling 
metal  draws  it  away  from  the  matrix.  It  is  plain,  there- 
fore, that  the  remedy  for  this  trouble  lies  in  the  equal 
cooling  of  the  cast.  In  book  and  job  casting  this  may 
be  easily  accomplished  by  protecting  the  back  of  the 
cast  with  a  sheet  of  heavy  paper.  After  placing  a 
matrix  in  the  box  and  the  gages  in  position,  a  sheet  of 


STEREOTYPING.  67 

paper  is  laid  over  the  gages  and  the  cover  brought 
down  and  clamped.  The  metal  is  then  poured  between 
the  paper  matrix  on  the  one  side  and  the  paper  back  on 
the  other,  and  the  cooling  thus  equalized  throughout. 
The  paper  back  may  be  pasted  to  the  cover  of  the  box, 
but  as  it  is  difficult  to  make  it  adhere,  and  as  it  some- 
times sticks  to  the  metal  and  tears  off  in  spots,  it  is 
usually  less  troublesome  to  use  a  separate  sheet  each 
time  in  the  manner  described.  Smooth  heavy  manila 
paper  is  the  best  to  employ  for  this  purpose  because 
the  metal  is  less  liable  to  adhere  to  it  than  to  more 
porous  paper.  This  tendency  to  stick  may  be  reduced, 
however,  by  first  brushing  the  paper  with  powdered 
French  chalk. 

Casting  boxes  with  grooved  covers  are  more  diffi- 
cult to  manage,  but  may  be  rendered  non-conductive  to 
a  great  extent  by  painting  the  cover  thoroughly  with 
the  following  mixture :  Equal  parts  of  fine-cut  tobacco 
and  lampblack  mixed  with  water  and  boiled  for  fifteen 
or  twenty  minutes.  The  casting  box  is  then  heated  by 
casting  several  slugs  or  blanks  and  the  juice  applied 
with  a  paint  brush.  Another  slug  is  then  cast  and 
another  coat  applied,  and  the  process  continued  until 
the  surface  is  covered  with  a  thin  film.  Some  time  is 
required  to  coat  a  new  box,  as  the  paint  must  be  burned 
on ;  but,  once  coated,  it  requires  to  be  brushed  over  but 
once  or  twice  a  week.  The  writer  has  used  this  prepa- 
ration for  a  great  many  years  and  has  found  it  a 
reliable  remedy  for  "  shrinks."  The  semi-cylindrical 
boxes  first  described  are  not  usually  coated,  as  the  water 
thrown  into  the  cover,  after  each  cast,  serves  to  equalize 
the  cooling. 


68  STEREOTYPING. 

Undue  shrinkage  in  the  width  or  length  of  the 
plates  is  caused  by  using  the  metal  too  hot.  Up  to  a 
certain  limit  stereotype  metal  will  expand  in  proportion 
to  its  heat,  and  in  cooling  will,  of  course,  show  a  corre- 
sponding contraction.  It  is  obvious,  therefore,  that  the 
cooler  the  metal,  the  less  will  be  the  shrinkage.  It  may 
be  set  down  as  a  rule,  that  the  metal  should  be  cast  as 
cool  as  possible ;  in  other  words,  no  more  heat  should 
be  applied  than  is  necessary  to  reduce  it  to  a  fluid  state. 

To  produce  satisfactory  results  with  cool  metal  the 
casting  box  must  be  warm  but  not  too  hot.  Several 
slugs  or  blank  casts  should  be  made  before  attempting 
to  cast  a  plate;  otherwise  the  metal,  already  on  the 
point  of  setting,  will  harden  before  it  reaches  the  bot- 
tom of  the  box.  With  the  box  hot,  however,  the  metal 
is  kept  in  a  fluid  state  until  every  indentation  of  the 
matrix  is  filled.  The  shrinkage  of  a  cast  twenty  inches 
in  length,  with  the  metal  of  the  proper  temperature, 
should  not  exceed  one-tenth  of  an  inch. 

If  the  matrix  blisters  in  casting  it  is  an  indication 
that  the  paste  was  too  thin,  or  not  sufficiently  adhesive, 
or  that  it  was  not  spread  on  the  paper  with  sufficient 
care.  In  making  matrices  for  half-tones  it  is  absolutely 
essential  that  the  paper  shall  be  thoroughly  pasted.  If 
any  spots,  however  small,  are  left  uncovered,  the  paper 
will  separate  and  puff  up.  This  sometimes  happens 
when  molding  forms  are  made  up  exclusively  of  type, 
but  is  much  more  likely  on  flat  surfaces.  If  the  flong  is 
properly  made  up  in  the  first  place,  the  cause  of  blister- 
ing will  be  found  in  the  use  of  undried  matrices.  If 
any  moisture  remains  in  the  matrix  it  will  be  changed 
to  steam  by  the  heat  of  the  metal  and  the  layers  of 


STEREOTYPING.  69 

paper  forced  apart  or  raised  up,  "  blistered  "  by  the 
expansion  of  the  steam.  The  molds  should  be  dried  as 
thoroughly  as  possible  on  the  type  and  then  laid  on  a 
hot  surface  for  some  time  until  the  moisture  has  been 
entirely  expelled. 

CASTING  CHALK  PLATES. 

The  stereotyper  in  a  newspaper  office  is  frequently 
called  upon  to  cast  "  chalk  plates."  This  is  a  different 
proposition  from  casting  from  papier-mache  molds. 
The  metal  and  the  casting  box  must  both  be  very  hot, 
the  casting  box  as  hot  as  the  metal.  An  error  is  often 
made  in  trying  to  cast  with  the  temperature  too  low. 
Shrinks  may  be  avoided  by  chilling  the  lower  end  of 
the  cast  first  and  gradually  extending  the  cooling 
process  to  the  upper  end.  This  may  be  done  with  a 
sponge  or  swab  soaked  in  water.  The  cooling  should 
be  done  on  the  side  the  chalk  plate  is  on.  When  large 
type  or  black  cuts  come  out  in  the  cast  concaved  or 
depressed  in  the  center,  it  may  be  due  to  one  of  several 
causes.  If  the  concave  is  in  the  matrix,  it  may  be 
caused  by  hard  drying  blankets  and  insufficient  squeeze 
on  the  drying  press,  or  if  a  very  thin  matrix  is  employed 
the  pressure  of  the  metal  in  casting  will  sometimes 
force  down  the  spaces  around  the  large  type  or  other 
black  surface  to  an  extent  sufficient  to  cause  the  center 
of  the  type  mold  to  spring  up  slightly,  thus  forming  a 
depression  in  the  cast.  If  the  matrix  is  not  defective, 
the  depression  in  the  cast  is  caused  by  the  shrinkage  of 
the  metal  away  from  the  matrix  in  cooling.  This  may 
be  due  to  one  or  more  of  three  causes.  The  metal  may 
be  too  hot  or  it  may  contain  too  much  tin ;  or  the  cast- 


70  STEREOTYPING. 

ing  box  may  be  tilted  in  the  wrong  direction,  i.  e.,  so 
that  the  pressure  of  the  metal  is  against  the  back  cover 
of  the  box  instead  of  against  the  matrix.  The  casting 
box  should  lean  a  little  so  that  the  matrix  will  rest 
against  the  lower  half.  The  tendency  will  then  be 
for  the  metal  to  shrink  away  from  the  cover  rather 
than  away  from  the  matrix.  Honeycombed  plates  are 
caused  by  too  much  antimony  in  the  metal,  and  the 
remedy  is  to  add  a  smaller  amount  to  the  mixture. 
Spongy  plates  may  be  due  to  the  presence  of  zinc  in  the 
metal,  or  to  lack  of  thorough  mixing. 

CLEANING  STEREOTYPE  METAL. 

Stereotype  metal  should  be  occasionally  cleaned  or 
purified.  This  may  best  be  done  by  immersing  in  the 
metal  a  piece  of  green  wood,  attached  to  the  end  of  an 
iron  rod.  The  wood  should  be  left  in  the  metal  until 
the  boiling  ceases.  Great  quantities  of  gas  and  vapor 
are  evolved  and  the  acids  in  the  metal  are  sufficiently 
reduced. 

Another  method  is  as  follows :  Heat  the  metal 
until  the  temperature  is  sufficient  to  brown  a  piece  of 
thick  white  paper  without  burning,  and  throw  a  little 
powdered  rosin  into  the  pot  and  stir  constantly. 

It  is  claimed  that  zinc  can  be  removed  from  stereo- 
type metal  by  heating  very  hot,  stirring  thoroughly  and 
then  scattering  over  the  surface  a  mixture  of  three 
parts  of  sulphur  and  one  part  rosin.  Then  burn  off 
with  oil  and  skim.  Repeat  the  operation  and  add  a 
small  quantity  of  antimony. 


STEREOTYPING.  71 


CHAPTER  VI. 

SAWING. 

HAVING  obtained  a  good  cast,  the  next  step  is 
cutting  off  the  tail,  or  jet,  which  is  accomplished, 
in  the  case  of  the  curved  plate,  by  a  "  cutting-off  cylin- 
der." This  is  an  iron  cylinder  mounted  on  a  shaft  sup- 
ported in  journals  formed  in  the  frame  of  the  machine. 
Near  one  end  of  the  cylinder  is  a  rapidly  revolving 
tool  whose  numerous  teeth  forming  the  cutting  sur- 
faces are  beveled  at  an  angle  corresponding  with  the 
bevel  required  on  the  end  of  the  plate,  which  provides  a 
means  of  locking  the  plate  upon  the  press. 

The  plate  having  been  turned  out  of  the  casting  box 
onto  the  cylinder  and  secured  thereto  by  a  broad  leather 
strap  passed  around  it,  the  cylinder  is  slowly  revolved 
by  means-  of  a  crank  to  whose  shaft  is  keyed  a  small 
pinion  which  engages  a  larger  gear  wheel  secured  to 
the  cylinder  shaft.  The  revolving  plate  is  thus  passed 
under  the  rotating  cutter,  which  severs  the  jet  from  the 
cast,  leaving  a  smooth  beveled  edge.  In  some  machines 
the  cylinder  is  revolved  by  means  of  steam  power 
instead  of  the  crank,  and  in  others  the  cutting  off  and 
shaving  are  done  at  the  same  time.  A  description  of 
this  machine  will  be  given  under  the  head  of  shaving 
machines. 

The  rotating  or  milling  cutters  used  in  cutting-off 
machines  are  made  of  the  best  too!  steel  tempered  to  an 


72 


STEREOTYPING. 


extreme  degree  of  hardness.  They  .do  not  require, 
therefore,  to  be  ground  often,  but  when  they  are  ground 
it  is  imperative  that  the  original  angle  should  be  pre- 
served. As  few  foundries  have  facilities  for  grinding 
such  tools,  it  is  customary  to  send  them  out  to  a  pro- 


CUTTING-OFF    CYLINDER. 

fessional  grinder.  They  may  be  whetted  occasionally 
with  an  oil-stone,  but  even  this  should  be  carefully 
done,  and  only  by  an  expert. 

In  flat  newspaper  work,  the  jets  are  cut  off  by  a 
circular  saw.  In  the  larger  foundries  the  plate  is 
turned  out  of  the  casting  box  onto  a  flat  iron  table 
with  the  jet  projecting  over  its  edge.  Immediately 


STEREOTYPING.  73 

over  the  edge  of  the  table,  and  secured  to  the  ceiling 
by  hangers,  is  a  swinging  arm  in  whose  lower  end  a 
saw  mandrel  is  mounted.  In  the  upper  end  of  the 
arm  is  a  counter-shaft  and  pulleys  for  transmitting 
power  to  the  saw.  When  not  in  use  the  lower  end  of 


STEREOTYPERS'  SAW. 


74  STEREOTYPING. 

the  arm  is  swung  back  out  of  the  way  of  the  workmen 
and  kept  in  that  position  by  a  counter-balance  weight. 
The  operator  by  means  of  a  handle  attached  to  the  arm, 
draws  the  revolving  saw  toward  him,  quickly  severing 
the  jet,  which  drops  into  a  waste  box.  On  releasing 
the  handle  the  arm  is  returned  to  its  original  position 
by  means  of  the  counter-balance  weight. 

As  the  arm  swings  in  a  segment  of  a  circle  whose 
diameter  is  about  twelve  feet,  it  is  obvious  that  the  saw 
must  be  quite  large  in  order  to  present  a  cutting  edge 
throughout  its  travel,  which  projects  below  the  edge  of 
the  table.  It  is  customary  to  employ  for  this  purpose  a 
cross-cut  saw,  sixteen  inches  in  diameter,  No.  12  gage 
and  with  about  four  teeth  to  the  inch.  It  should  be 
driven  about  2,000  revolutions  per  minute. 

In  smaller  establishments  no  special  machine  is 
required  for  cutting  off  the  jets,  the  work  being  done 
on  an  ordinary  saw  table.  The  disadvantages  of  this 
method  of  cutting  consist  in  the  danger  of  binding  or 
twisting  the  saw,  which  is  usually  small  and  light ;  and 
the  tendency  to  bend  or  warp  the  plate  if  sawed  while 
hot,  which  is  often  necessary.  This  danger  may  be 
avoided  to  some  extent  by  turning  the  plate,  face  down, 
upon  a  piece  of  cardboard,  and  keeping  it  in  that  posi- 
tion while  cutting  off  the  jet.  The  operator  is  thus 
enabled  to  keep  the  plate  flat  upon  the  saw  table,  which 
will  prevent  its  warping  and  lessen  the  danger  of  injury 
to  the  saw. 

Sawing  machines  are  of  various  designs  and  sizes, 
but  do  not  differ  in  principle.  On  page  73  is  illustrated 
a  light,  easy-running,  but  solid  and  compact  machine, 
designed  for  general  work.  The  saw  mandrel  is  driven 


STEREOTYPING. 


75 


COMBINED  SAW  AND  TRIMMER. 


by  a  counter-shaft  and  pulleys  which  are  furnished 
with  the  machine,  or  preferably  by  a  self-contained 
electric  motor.  The  rear  end  of  the  table  is  hinged  to 
the  frame  of  the  machine,  and  the  front  rests  upon  the 
end  of  a  screw  which  terminates  in  a  hand-wheel,  by 
means  of  which  the  top  may  be  adjusted  to  any  desired 
height,  for  sawing  mortises,  etc.  An  adjustable  side- 
gage  and  a  sliding  end-gage  are  features  common  to  all 


76  STEREOTYPING. 

stereotype  saws,  as  is  also  the  glass  saw  guard  for  pro- 
tecting the  eyes  of  the  operator  from  flying  chips  and 
sawdust. 

The  engraving  on  page  75  shows  a  combined  saw 
and  trimmer.  The  saw  is  similar  to  the  one  shown  on 
the  preceding  page,  but  in  this  machine  the  saw  mandrel 
projects  beyond  the  side  of  the  table  and  is  provided 
upon  its  outer  end  with  a  circular  wrought-iron  cutter 
head,  in  which  are  secured,  by  counter-sunk  set  screws, 
two  or  more  cutters,  for  squaring  up  type-high  (.918 
inch)  stereotypes.  The  work  is  carried  to  the  cutters 
upon  a  sliding-bed  which  is  furnished  with  a  right- 
angled  adjustable  gage,  and  mounted  upon  ways  run- 
ning parallel  with  the  face  of  the  cutter  head. 

The  cabinet  saw  shown  on  page  77  presents  some 
novel  features  not  shown  in  the  other  illustrations. 
The  table  top  is  hinged  at  the  front  instead  of  the  rear, 
and  is  adjusted  to  height  by  means  of  the  hand-wheel 
and  worm  shown  at  the  right  of  the  machine.  This  saw 
is  provided  with  a  dust  drawer,  tool  closet,  removable 
shelf,  removable  ripping  fence  and  throat  plate  gages. 

To  provide  a  means  of  rapidly  changing  the  saws  in 
a  machine  which  is  used  for  different  kinds  of  work, 
such  as  zinc  or  brass  and  stereotype  metal  or  wood,  a 
machine  has  recently  been  devised  which  is  provided 
with  two  arbors,  joined  on  a  swinging  arm,  one  of  which 
carries  the  soft  metal  saw  and  the  other  the  brass  or 
zinc  cutting  saw.  But  one  mandrel  revolves  at  a  time, 
and  while  it  is  in  operation,  the  other  mandrel  is 
beneath  the  machine  out  of  the  way  of  the  operator,  as 
shown  in  the  engraving  on  page  79.  The  mechanism 
for  changing  the  swinging  arm  and  its  mandrels  is 


STEREOTYPING. 


77 


operated  by  the  crank  handles  at  the  right-hand  corner 
of  the  machine.  The  change  can  be  made  in  a  few 
seconds  while  the  machine  is  running  at  full  speed. 

Saws  for  sawing  stereotype  metal  should  not  be 
larger  than,  the  requirements  of  the  work  demand.  It 
is  usually  desirable,  and  sometimes  necessary,  to  employ 


CABINET   SAW. 

a  thin  blade,  from  18  to  20  gage,  to  saw  out  column 
rules,  or  between  lines,  and  a  saw  of  this  thickness, 
if  made  larger  than  eight  or  nine  inches  in  diameter, 
will  be  liable  to  wind;  while  on  the  other  hand,  if 
the  saw  is  just  large  enough  to  project  slightly  through 
the  work,  this  tendency  will  be  reduced  to  a  minimum. 
The  diameter  of  the  saw  must  depend,  of  course,  upon 


78  STEREOTYPING. 

the  distance  between  the  saw  mandrel  and  the  table  top. 
For  instance,  if  the  mandrel  is  three  inches  below  the 
table  top,  a  nine-inch  saw  would  be  required  to  give 
sufficient  cutting  surface  above  the  table  and  to  allow 
for  a  reasonable  amount  of  wear  and  resharpening.  In 
most  machines,  however,  the  mandrel  is  located  within 
two  and  one-half  inches  of  the  top,  or  even  less,  thus 
permitting  the  use  of  smaller  saws.  For  general  use, 
and  under  usual  conditions,  a  cross-cut  saw  eight  inches 
in  diameter,  No.  19  gage,  and  with  about  five  teeth 
to  the  inch,  is  found  to  be  the  most  practical  and  con- 
venient. Such  a  saw  should  be  driven  about  4,000  rev- 
olutions a  minute. 

The  impression  which  prevails  among  many,  par- 
ticularly among  novices,  that  saws  for  this  class  of 
work  require  an  especially  hard  temper  is  erroneous. 
Stereotype  metal  is  not  harder  to  cut  than  many  kinds 
of  wood,  and  a  saw  tempered  for  wood  work  is  much 
preferable  to  a  harder  temper,  for  it  is  less  liable  to 
crack,  and  much  easier  to  keep  in  order. 

To  cut  easily  and  freely  without  sticking  or  filling 
up,  saws  should  be  kept  sharp,  round,  evenly  set  and 
the  teeth  should  all  be  filed  with  the  same  angle  and 
without  hook. 

To  keep  the  saw  round  it  should  be  jointed  or  trued 
up  occasionally.  This  may  be  easily  done  by  elevating 
the  saw  table  until  only  the  longest  teeth  of  the  saw 
project  through  the  slot  in  the  top.  Then  start  the 
machine  and  with  a  piece  of  emery  stone  grind  down 
the  teeth  of  the  saw  until  they  will  no  longer  reach  the 
stone.  If  on  examination  it  is  found  that  there  are 
some  teeth  which  have  not  come  in  contact  with  the 


STEREOTYPING. 


79 


stone  the  table  may  be  lowered  slightly  and  the  grind- 
ing continued  until  the  shortest  teeth  are  touched.  If 
the  saw  mandrel  fits  accurately  the  hole  in  the  saw  and 
no  more  filing  is  done  than  is  necessary  to  bring  the 


DOUBLE  SAW. 


teeth  to  a  point,  it  is  obvious  that  a  perfect  circle  will 
have  been  obtained. 

The  saw  may  be  set  by  laying  it  on  a  block  of  hard 
wood  and  striking  every  alternate  tooth  with  a  hammer 


80  STEREOTYPING. 

or  punch,  and  then  turning  it  over  and  repeating  the 
operation  with  the  remaining  teeth.  It  requires  con- 
siderable skill,  however,  to  set  a  saw  evenly  in  this  way 
and  it  is  preferable,  particularly  for  the  novice,  to  use  a 
carpenter's  saw-set,  which  may  be  purchased  at  any 
hardware  store. 

To  file  a  saw  properly  it  should  be  clamped  between 
two  round  blocks  about  one  inch  thick  and  one  inch 
less  in  diameter  than  the  saw.  The  blocks  may  be 
clamped  together  on  the  saw  by  placing  them  in  a  vise. 
The  teeth  should  be  filed  straight  across  and  should  not 
lean  forward  of  a  line  drawn  from  the  center  of  the  saw 
to  its  periphery. 


STEREOTYPING.  81 


CHAPTER  VII. 
SHAVING   MACHINES. 

THE  modern  shaving  machine  for  circular  news- 
paper plates  is  made  in  the  form  of  a  semi- 
circular trough  of  iron,  lined  with  polished  brass,  to 
protect  the  face  of  the  plate  from  injury.  Just  inside 
the  edge  of  the  trough  and  parallel  with  its  length,  is  a 
steel  stop  which  prevents  the  pressure  of  the  shaver 
knife  from  forcing  the  plate  out  of  position.  Directly 
over  the  center  and  extending  longitudinally  over  the 
trough  is  a  heavy  steel  shaft  supported  by  journals 
which  are  part  of  the  framework  of  the  machine,  and 
so  located  that  its  center  represents  the  center  of  a 
circle,  a  part  of  whose  periphery  would  be  the  inside  of 
the  trough.  To  the  shaft  is  secured  a  massive  iron 
frame  to  which  is  bolted  a  heavy  steel  cutting  blade. 
When  the  shaft  is  revolved  it  causes  the  knife  blade  to 
describe  a  circle,  whose  periphery  corresponds  exactly 
with  that  of  the  cylinder  of  the  printing-press  for  which 
the  cast  plate  is  to  be  made.  In  operation,  the  plate  is 
placed  face  down  in  the  trough,  with  one  edge  firmly 
held  by  the  steel  stop.  Power  being  applied  to  the 
shaft,  the  knife  starts  on  its  circular  travel,  scooping 
out  the  superfluous  metal  from  the  inside  of  the  plate, 
leaving  it  of  uniform  thickness,  and  with  a  perfectly 
smooth  interior.  It  will  be  remembered  that  these 
plates  are  cast  with  ribs  to  facilitate  this  operation  of 


82 


STEREOTYPING. 


shaving.  It  was  formerly  the  custom  to  cast  plates 
solid,  without  the  ribbed  back;  and  the  shaving 
machine  employed  to  shave  the  solid  plate  was  made  on 
the  principle  of  an  auger,  which  started  at  one  end  of 
the  plate  and  bored  out  the  interior,  an  operation  which 


CURVED   SHAVER. 

consumed  several  minutes ;  whereas  the  machines  now 
in  use  perform  their  work  in  thirty  seconds  or  less.  As 
the  boring  machine  is  now  obsolete,  a  detailed  descrip- 
tion of  it  will  be  omitted. 

A  novel  and  effective  shaving  machine,  shown  on 
page  83,  which  has  been  invented,  is  made  in  the  form 
of  a  complete  cylinder,  open  at  both  ends,  which  re- 


STEREOTYPING.  83 

volves  around  a  stationary  knife  blade,  carrying  the 
plate  with  it,  while  a  rapidly  revolving  cutter  head, 
carrying  two  blades,  severs  the  jet  from  the  plate  at  the 
same  time.  The  plate  is  turned  from  the  casting  box 


CURVED  SHAVER  AND  TAIL  CUTTER. 


directly  into  the  cylinder  and  firmly  clamped  into  posi- 
tion by  the  action  of  a  single  screw,  operated  by  a 
socket  wrench.  Nearly  all  shaving  machines  for  circu- 
lar work  are  now  operated  by  steam  power,  but  there 


•  84 


STEREOTYPING. 


are  still  in  use  machines  which  are  operated  by  a  crank 
with  fly-wheel  attachment,  both  secured  to  an  auxiliary 
shaft  on  which  is  keyed  a  pinion  engaging  a  larger 
gear-wheel  on  the  knife  shaft.  The  work  is,  of  course, 


HAND  SHAVER. 


STEREOTYPING.  85 

exceedingly  laborious,  and  requires  the  combined 
efforts  of  two  men. 

Shaving  machines  for  flat  work  are  of  various  pat- 
terns and  sizes,  some  of  which  are  operated  by  steam 
power  and  some  by  hand.  The  hand  machine  consists 
of  an  iron  table  surfaced  perfectly  true  upon  its  upper 
surface  and  provided  with  a  stop  at  one  end  to  hold  the 
plate  in  position.  The  side  edges  of  the  table  are  also 
machined  true,  both  top  and  bottom,  and  serve  as 
guides  for  a  sliding  head  to  which  the  knife  is  bolted. 
Secured  to  the  rear  of  the  head  and  traversing  the 
entire  length  of  the  machine  are  steel  racks,  one  on 
either  side,  which  are  engaged  by  two  pinions  located 
on  a  shaft  which  is  at  right  angles  with  the  racks.  To 
one  end  of  the  shaft  a  cast-iron  spider  is  keyed,  and  to 
the  spider  long  wooden  spokes  are  bolted  which  afford 
the  means  of  operating  the  head.  The  head  is  provided 
with  steel  gibs  so  that  the  wear  may  be  taken  up  by 
means  of  set  screws  which  act  on  the  gibs. 

A  modification  of  this  machine  consists  in  the  addi- 
tion of  another  spoke  wheel  located  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  machine,  by  means  of  which  the  operator 
may  have  assistance  in  shaving  large  plates.  Most 
machines  are  provided  with  a  spring  roller  located  in 
front  of,  and  attached  by  brackets  to  the  head.  The 
purpose  of  the  roller  is  to  press  the  plate  flat  down  on 
the  bed  of  the  machine  just  before  the  knife  begins  its 
cut.  A  plate  which  is  slightly  uneven  or  warped  is  thus 
secured  against  the  danger  of  "  gouging "  and  the 
necessity  for  filing  or  cutting  a  bevel  on  the  end  of  the 
plate  is  also  obviated. 

In    large    establishments    shaving    machines    are 


86  STEREOTYPING. 

usually  driven  by  power.  There  are  various  devices  for 
applying  the  power,  one  of  which  is  illustrated  in  the 
machine  shown  on  page  87.  The  shaft  and  pinions 
acting  upon  the  rack  are  the  same  as  in  the  hand 
machines  described.  A  large  gear  wheel  is  substituted 
for  the  spoke  wheel  on  the  main  shaft  and  is  driven  by 
a  pinion  to  whose  shaft  power  is  communicated  through 
intermediate  gearing,  by  means  of  pulleys  shown  at  the 
left  of  the  machine. 

When  not  in  operation  the  driving  belt  runs  upon 
the  central  pulley,  which  is  loose  upon  its  shaft.  To 
operate  the  machine  the  belt  is  shifted  to  one  or  the 
other  of  the  outside  pulleys  and  forward  or  backward 
motion  thus  communicated  to  the  shaver  head. 

The  belt  shifters  are  operated  by  two  pedals  con- 
veniently located  under  the  front  of  the  machine.  The 
head  is  prevented  from  going  too  far  back  by  an  auto- 
matic trip  which  shifts  the  belt  and  at  the  same  moment 
applies  a  brake  to  the  driving  shaft. 

Shaving  machines  are  usually  made  so  that  type- 
high  (.9 1 8-inch)  or  thin  plate  work  (1-6  inch)  may 
be  shaved  with  equal  facility.  This  is  accomplished  by 
adjusting  the  knife  and  stop  for  type-high  work,  and 
the  machine  with  a  false  bed  whose  thickness  equals 
the  difference  between  the  two  classes  of  work.  In 
machines  of  this  kind  more  or  less  inconvenience  is 
caused  by  the  necessity  of  removing  the  false  bed  every 
time  the  work  is  changed.  To  overcome  this  annoy- 
ance, machines  have  been  devised  with  adjustable  beds 
by  which  work  of  any  thickness  from  one  pica  (1-6 
inch)  to  one  and  one-quarter  inches  may  be  shaved. 
The  bed  rests  on  steel  wedges  which  are  operated  by  a 


STEREOTYPING. 


87 


screw  passing  through  the  front  of  the  machine  and 
terminating  in  an  indexed  hand  wheel.  By  means  of 
this  wheel  the  bed  may  be  rapidly  raised  or  lowered  to 
any  desired  height  within  the  range  of  the  machine. 
(See  page  88.) 


POWER  REVERSE  SHAVER. 

In  another  form  of  adjustable  shaver  the  knife 
is  raised  and  lowered  instead  of  the  bed.  The  knife 
is  bolted  to  a  sliding  plate  which  is  mounted  on  the 
face  of  the. shaver  head  and  is  raised  and  lowered 
by  two  screws  terminating  in  gear  wheels  driven 
by  an  intermediate  gear  which  is  located  on  the 


88  STEREOTYPING. 

same  shaft  with  an  indexed  hand  wheel.  By  turning 
this  hand  wheel  both  screws  are  operated  simul- 
taneously, thus  accurately  adjusting  the  knife,  which 
always  remains  parallel  with  the  bed.  This  machine  is 
of  new  design  and  differs  in  many  respects  from  other 
makes.  The  following  description  is  given  by  the 
maker :  "  The  knife  remains  stationary,  the  plate  to  be 
shaved  being  placed  on  a  table  and  passed  under 


ELEVATING  BED  SHAVING  MACHINE. 

the  knife.  Power  is  applied  to  move  the  table  in 
one  direction  only,  the  power  being  thrown  on  and 
off  by  a  lever  handle,  not  shown,  convenient  to  the 
right  hand  of  the  operator;  the  backward  move- 
ment is  obtained  by  means  of  a  hand  wheel.  The 


STEREOTYPING.  89 

table  is  extended  beyond  the  head  toward  the  front 
of  the  machine,  affording  increased  bearing  surface 
and  equalizing  the  wear  over  all  parts  of  its  length; 
the  extended  portion  is  made  slightly  concave  on 
which  plates  may  be  bent  so  that  they  shall  rest 
properly  on  the  shaving  table.  At  the  front  of  the 
machine,  on  the  left  side,  is  an  inverted  plane  by  which 
plates  may  be  beveled  as  is  usual  to  prevent  the  too 
abrupt  commencement  of  the  shaving  operation.  The 
cutting  edge  of  the  plane  is  protected  by  a  hinged 
guard,  which,  by  a  spring,  is  held  a  little  above  the 
knife  but  readily  yields  to  pressure  and  does  not  inter- 
fere with  the  operation  of  beveling,  which  is  performed 
by  drawing  the  edge  of  the  plate  across  the  face  of  the 
plane."  A  shaft  running  through  the  body  of  the 
machine  is  provided  with  a  pinion  which  engages  a 
rack  bolted  to  the  under  side  of  the  sliding  table  or  bed. 
One  end  of  this  shaft  terminates  in  the  hand  wheel 
which  is  employed  to  reverse  the  machine  and  the  other 
is  provided  with  a  worm  wheel  which  is  driven  by  a 
worm  secured  to  a  shaft  running  parallel  with  the 
length  of  the  machine,  and  to  which  is  also  attached  the 
band  wheel  for  transmitting  power  for  the  forward 
movement  of  the  bed. 

The  accuracy  of  the  work  performed  by  shaving 
machines  depends  largely  on  the  grinding  and  lapping 
of  the  knives.  The  cutting  edge  of  the  knife  must,  of 
course,  be  an  exact  straight  edge  in  order  that  the 
shaved  plates  shall  be  of  equal  thickness  throughout. 
To  secure  this  straight  edge,  and  at  the  same  time 
obtain  the  proper  clearance,  the  shaver  knife  is  lapped 
after  it  is  ground.  A  perfectly  flat  iron  or  steel  plate  is 


90 


STEREOTYPING. 


covered  with  fine  emery  powder  and  oil,  and  on  this  the 
knife,  which  is  clamped  to  an  angle  plate  or  gage  whose 
face  corresponds  very  nearly  to  the  shaver  head,  is 
lapped,  first  across  the  plate  and  then  from  end  to  end, 


ADJUSTABLE   KNIFE   SHAVER. 

and  finally  in  large  sweeping  circles,  frequently  chang- 
ing from  one  position  to  another  in  order  that  the  level 
of  the  plate  shall  not  be  impaired  by  excessive  wear  in 
one  spot.  The  face  of  the  shaver  head  to  which  the 
knife  is  bolted  is  planed  to  an  angle  of  about  fifteen 
degrees.  That  the  knife  may  have  sufficient  clearance, 


STEREOTYPING.  91 

the  face  of  the  angle  gage  should  have  about  one  degree 
more,  for  it  is  obvious  that  if  the  angle  of  the  gage 
should  be  the  same  as  the  angle  of  the  shaver  head,  a 
knife  lapped  in  this  position  would  not  shave  the  plate, 
but  would  drag  over  it.  If,  however,  the  top  of  the 
knife  be  tipped  forward  slightly,  the  heel  of  the  knife 
will  be  raised  sufficiently  to  obtain  the  necessary  clear- 
ance. As  it  would  require  much  unnecessary  labor  to 
lap  the  entire  thickness  of  the  knife,  it  is  customary  to 
grind  away  the  heel,  leaving  only  about  one-eighth  of 
an  inch  of  surface  to  lap.  While  it  is  essential  that  the 
heel  of  the  knife  should  be  raised  sufficiently  to  prevent 
dragging,  it  is  just  as  important  that  there  should  not 
be  too  much  clearance,  for  in  the  latter  case  the  knife 
would  dip  or  gouge  into  the  plate,  particularly  when 
commencing  or  finishing  a  cut,  thus  making  the  plate 
too  thin  at  the  ends.  It  is  well  therefore  to  make  a 
difference  of  not  more  than  one  degree  between  the 
angles  of  the  face  of  the  shaver  head  and  the  face  of 
the  angle  gage.  The  travel  of  the  shaver  head  should 
not  exceed  twenty  feet  per  minute  and  for  most  work 
twelve  to  fifteen  feet  is  a  better  speed. 

It  is  impossible  to  shave  a  plate  accurately  unless  the 
cut  taken  be  very  light.  A  heavy  cut  will  lift  the  plate 
in  spite  of  pressure  rollers  or  any  other  precaution  that 
may  be  taken  to  prevent  it.  If  the  plates  are  cast  too 
thick,  the  casting  box  gages  should  be  planed  or  ground 
down  until  the  thickness  of  the  cast  has  been  reduced  to 
a  point  where  a  very  light  shaving  will  be  sufficient  to 
finish  it. 

The  roughing  machine  is  employed  in  large  estab- 
lishments to  take  the  first  or  rough  cut  off  from  the 


92  STEREOTYPING. 

stereotype  plate  when  more  than  one  cut  is  required. 
Its  chief  utility  consists  in  the  fact  that  a  large  quantity 
of  metal  may  be  removed  at  one  operation.  The  plate 
rests  upon  a  traveling  bed  and  is  held  down  during  the 
operation  of  cutting  by  two  spring  rollers,  located  one 
on  either  side  of  the  track  of  a  reciprocating  cutter 
head.  The  cutter  is  supported  by  a  tool  post  formed  on 
the  cutter  head  and  the  head  is  arranged  to  slide  on  an 
arm  extending  over  the  traveling  bed  and  at  right 
angles  therewith.  The  head  is  actuated  by  a  pitman, 
or  connecting  rod,  one  end  of  which  is  connected  with 
a  stud  on  the  cutter  head  and  the  other  with  a  crank  pin 
on  the  driving  pulley.  The  bed  is  operated  in  one  direc- 
tion by  a  worm  which  is  driven  by  a  belt  from  a  pulley 
on  the  main  drive  shaft  and  is  moved  in  a  reverse  direc- 
tion by  hand. 

While  this  machine  was  originally  designed,  as  its 
name  implies,  for  rough  work,  yet  a  carefully  con- 
structed machine  can  be  made  to  do  its  work  so  accu- 
rately that  no  further  facing  or  shaving  is  necessary ; 
and  in  many  foundries  it  really  takes  the  place  of  the 
shaving  machine. 


STEREOTYPING.  93 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

TRIMMING. 

FLAT  stereotype  plates,  whether  for  job  or  news- 
paper work,  usually  require  to  be  trimmed  on  the 
sides  and  ends  to  reduce  them  to  a  standard  size.  In 
the  case  of  wood-mounted  job  plates  the  trimming  is 
done  after  they  have  been  mounted  on  blocks  when 
plate  and  block  can  be  finished  at  the  same  time. 

As  a  reasonable  degree  of  accuracy  is  desired  in  the 
finished  plate,  particularly  in  the  case  of  newspaper 
columns,  the  saw  is  unsuitable  for  such  trimming  on 
Account  of  its  tendency  to  spring  away  from  the  work 
and  because  its  cut  is  more  or  less  ragged  and  uneven. 

Various  machines  have  been  designed  for  the  finish- 
ing of  sides  and  ends  of  such  plates,  the  most  popular 
of  these  being  the  Shoot-board  and  the  Trimmer.  The 
former  is  used  for  finishing  book  plates  and  small  jobs 
and  the  latter  for  general  work.  For  special  work, 
such  as  newspaper  columns  and  advertising  cuts  which 
are  worked  upon  the  separable  plate  and  base  plan, 
machinery  is  employed  which  finishes  both  sides  of  the 
plate  at  the  same  time. 

The  simplest  form  of  a  trimming  machine  is  a 
shoot-board  in  which  a  plane,  supporting  an  adjustable 
cutter  blade  and  furnished  with  a  defending  tongue, 
slides  freely  in  a  groove  or  guide  way  formed  in  the 
top  of  an  iron  bed-plate.  A  stop,  extending  across  the 


94  STEREOTYPING. 

bed  at  right  angles  with  the  groove,  serves  as  a  limit 
gage  and  stop  for  the  stereotype  plate  and  also  as  a 
guide  for  squaring  the  plate. 

Two  planes  are  furnished  with  the  shoot-board,  one 
for  finishing  the  plate  with  a  square  edge,  and  one  for 
producing  a  beveled  edge.  The  method  of  operating 
the  machine  is  illustrated  herewith. 

On  page  95  is  presented  a  novel  and  effective  shoot- 
board  which  is  operated  by  power.  The  advantages 


SHOOT-BOARD  AND  PLANES. 

claimed  for  it  are  absolute  safety  to  the  operator,  per- 
fect accuracy  and  smooth  finish  in  the  work  performed. 
A  slot  in  the  crank  arm  of  the  drive  wheel  admits  of 
ample  adjustment  of  stroke  to  accommodate  various 
sizes  of  work. 

A  very  convenient  and  efficient  trimming  machine 
is  shown  on  page  96.  A  rapidly  rotating  arbor  or 
spindle  carrying  a  cutter  head  in  which  are  secured,  by 
counter-sunk  set  screws,  two  or  more  cutting  tools,  is 
journaled  in  a  substantial  iron  frame. 

The  work  is  carried  past  the  cutters  on  a  reciprocat- 
ing carriage  which  slides  on  ways  parallel  with  the 
face  of  the  cutter  head.  The  carriage  is  furnished  with 


STEREOTYPING. 


95 


a  right-angled  adjustable  gage,  against  which  the  work 
rests,  and  which  is  operated  by  a  finely  threaded  feed 
screw  admitting  of  close  and  accurate  adjustments. 
These  should  admit  of  standardized  pica  dimensions. 


POWER  SHOOT-BOARD. 


For  job  work  the  dimensions  of  the  trimmer  car- 
riage are  about  12  by  16  inches,  but  for  flat  newspaper 
work  where  it  is  often  desired  to  trim  the  sides  and 
ends  of  a  whole  page,  the  carriage  is  made  as  large  as 


96 


STEREOTYPING. 


20  by  24  inches,  and  may  be  made  even  larger,  of 
course,  should  the  work  demand  it.  To  perform 
smooth  and  accurate  work  the  trimmer  head  should 
make  about  3,500  revolutions  a  minute. 

To  prevent  the  work  from  being  drawn  into  the 
knives  and  injured  it  is  essential  that  it  should  be  held 


JOB  TRIMMER. 

securely  on  the  carriage.  Large  and  heavy  pieces  of 
work,  if  they  have  first  been  shaved  and  straightened, 
may  be  easily  and  without  danger  held  by  the  fingers,  as 
their  weight  is  nearly  sufficient  to  resist  the  tendency  of 
the  tools  to  draw  them  away  from  the  guide. 

Long  and  narrow  pieces,  such  as  single  column 
newspaper  plates,  require  to  be  held  at  both  ends.    This 


STEREOTYPING.  97 

is  a  matter  of  some  inconvenience  to  the  operator  on 
account  of  the  long  reach  involved  and  because,  with 
both  hands  thus  engaged,  he  can  operate  the  adjusting 
screw,  by  which  the  plate  is  fed  to  the  cutters,  only  at  a 
great  disadvantage.  To,  reduce  to  a  minimum  the 
danger  and  difficulty  of  holding  such  pieces  an  auto- 
matic clamp  has  been  devised  which  relieves  the  oper- 
ator from  the  necessity  of  holding  one  end  of  the  plate, 
thus  leaving  one  hand  free  for  the  adjustment  of  the 
side  gage.  In  trimming  long  plates  it  is  obvious  that 
the  front  end  (the  end  farthest  removed  from  the 
operator),  unless  held  to  the  carriage,  is  liable  to 
chatter  or  spring  up  when  undergoing  the  action  of  the 
cutters,  and  to  obviate  the  necessity  of  holding  it  by 
hand,  a  presser  foot  is  provided  upon  the  carriage 
which  can  be  automatically  raised  and  lowered  each 
time  the  carriage  is  reciprocated  in  operation. 

Very  small  pieces  of  work,  such  as  one,  two  or 
three  line  stereotypes,  are  held  in  a  special  line  holder. 
This  is  an  oblong  block  of  iron  ten  or  twelve  inches 


LINE  HOLDER. 


in  length,  two  inches  in  width  and  one  inch  high. 
A  dove-tailed  groove  extending  the  full  length  of  the 
side  face  of  the  block  admits  two  thin,  serrated  clamps, 
one  of  which  is  secured  by  means  of  a  set  screw  at  any 


98  STEREOTYPING. 

desired  distance  from  the  end  of  the  block,  and  the 
other  is  pivoted  to  the  end  of  a  lever  which  is  operated 
by  a  crank  handle  on  the  top  of  the  block.  The  under 
side  of  the  block  is  recessed  to  receive  a  spiral  spring 
which  is  attached  to  the  lever  and  serves  to  hold  the 


LARGE  TRIMMER. 

clamps  firmly  together  upon  the  work  except  when 
released  therefrom  by  the  action  of  the  crank  handle 
before  mentioned. 

In  operation  the  block  is  placed  upon  the  carriage 
of  the  trimmer,  the  clamp  jaws  separated  by  means  of 


STEREOTYPING.  99 

the  crank  handle  and  the  work  inserted  between  them. 
On  releasing  the  handle,  the  spring,  acting  upon  the 
lever,  draws  the  clamps  together.  The  work  is  thus 
held  securely  and  may  be  trimmed  without  danger  to 
the  eyes  or  fingers  of  the  operator,  provided  the  line 
holder  itself  be  held  firmly  against  the  side  gage  of  the 
machine  during  the  operation  of  trimming. 

It  should  be  impressed  upon  the  workman  that 
whether  trimming  small  or  large  pieces,  it  is  important 
that  the  carriage  of  the  machine  should  be  kept  free 
from  chips.  More  accidents  have  been  caused  by  care- 
lessness in  this  regard  than  from  all  other  causes  com- 
bined. A  chip  or  small  piece  of  metal  under  the  work 
will  cause  it  to  chatter  or  rock  when  it  encounters  the 
cutters,  with  the  result  that  the  workman  often  loses 
control  of  it;  and  even  if  he  is  not  injured  by  flying 
fragments  his  work  will  be  destroyed. 

Two  kinds  of  cutters  are  used  in  trimming  machines, 
one  for  trimming  metal  work  and  the  other  for  wood  or 
wood  and  metal  combined,  such  as  job  or  book  plates 
mounted  on  cherry  or  mahogany.  Both  are  made  of 
Stubbs  tool  steel,  hardened,  and  the  temper  drawn  to  a 
purple  color.  The  holes  in  the  cutter  head  are  usually 
round,  in  which  case  round  steel,  of  a  size  which  will 
accurately  fit  the  holes,  should  be  used  for  tools.  The 
cutting  end  of  the  tools,  however,  must  be  squared  for 
at  least  a  half  an  inch  back  from  the  end.  That  is  to 
say,  there  must  be  one  right-angled  corner  to  do  the 
cutting. 

As  the  back  of  the  tool  has  no  work  to  do,  its  form 
is  immaterial  and  it  may  be  left  in  the  shape  of  the 
original  form  of  the  steel. 


100 


STEREOTYPING. 


Fig.  i,  shown  below,  is  a  plan  view,  Fig.  2  a  side 
view  and  Fig.  3  a  rear  view  of  a  metal  cutter;  c  is 
the  cutting  edge  and  ci  the  cutting  end  of  the  tool.  It 
is  obvious  that  with  a  cutter  of  this  shape  most  of  the 
work  will  be  done  by  the  point,  or  right-angled  corner, 
d,  for  as  the  amount  of  metal  cut  from  the  stereotype 
plate  at  one  time  rarely  exceeds  1-16  of  an  inch,  the 


TRIMMER  TOOL. 

contact  of  the  tool  with  the  plate  will  extend  only  that 
distance  back  from  the  end;  while  in  the  other  direc- 
tion the  tool  will  show  wear  for  a  distance  back  from 
the  point  corresponding  with  the  travel  of  the  trimmer 
carriage  during  the  time  the  cutter  is  passing  the  plate. 
As  the  cutter  has  a  travel  of  over  2,000  feet  per  minute 
while  the  travel  of  the  carriage  rarely  exceeds  30  feet 
per  minute,  it  is  evident  that  the  wear  in  this  direction 
is  not  appreciable. 


STEREOTYPING.  101 

In  order  to  make  the  tool  last  as  long  as  possible 
without  grinding,  this  corner  should  be  slightly  rounded 


TYPE  GAGE. 


LINING  GAGE. 


as  shown  at  e,  in  Fig.  3,  and  the  end  and  side  faces  of 
the  cutter  should  be  backed  off  slightly  at  a  and  b  to 
provide  clearance. 


102  STEREOTYPING. 

On  page  103  is  a  view  of  a  machine  specially 
designed  to  be  used  in  the  finishing  of  that  class  of 
stereotype  plates  having  one  or  more  longitudinal  legs 
with  inclined  side  surfaces  whereby  they  may  be  locked 
in  the  form  to  bases  having  one  or  more  upward  projec- 
tions adapted  to  engage  the  inclined  faces  of  the  leg. 
The  operations  performed  by  the  machine  are  the  trim- 
ming of  the  side  edges  of  the  plate,  the  trimming  of  the 
inclined  face  of  the  leg  or  legs,  and  also  the  formation 
of  a  horizontal  under-bearing  surface  upon  the  cored 
or  hollow  part  of  the  plate.  These  operations  are  all 
simultaneous,  and  the  plate  after  undergoing  them  is 
finished,  ready  for  the  press. 

Some  features  of  the  invention  are,  however,  well 
adapted  for  use  in  trimming  plates  having  other  modes 
of  fastening  than  that  mentioned,  and  in  which  the 
longitudinal  leg  with  the  inclined  side  face  is  not 
present. 

The  invention  consists  in  two  rotary  cutter  heads 
adapted  to  trim  the  plate  edges,  placed  opposite  each 
other,  and  at  a  distance  apart  corresponding  to  the 
width  desired  for  the  plate,  and  an  inclined  rotary 
cutter  or  cutters  located  to  operate  upon  the  side  face 
of  the  under  leg  or  legs  of  the  plate,  with  reciprocating 
carriage  for  moving  the  plate  up  to  the  cutters. 

The  cutter  arbors  are  made  horizontally  adjustable, 
by  which  means  the  wear  of  the  cutting  tools  may  be 
compensated  for,  and  errors  of  adjustment  of  the  cut- 
ting tools  readily  corrected. 

The  plate-holding  carriage  is  slotted  throughout 
that  portion  of  its  length  covered  by  the  plate  to  give 
access  to  the  under  cutter,  the  plate  straddling  the  slot. 


STEREOTYPING. 


103 


DOUBLE  TRIMMER. 


104  STEREOTYPING. 

A  vertically  acting  clamp  coextensive  with  the  plate 
in  length  is  mounted  upon  the  carriage  and  is  used  to 
hold  the  plate  rigidly  during  the  time  it  is  being 
trimmed,  and  serves  also  as  a  guide  for  the  alignment 
of  the  plate.  The  clamp  is  operated  by  a  lever  handle, 
which  also  serves  the  operator  as  a  handle  for  pushing 
the  carriage  to  and  from  the  cutters. 

To  prevent  injury  to  the  printing  surface  of  the 
plate  the  bottom  of  the  clamp  is  faced  with  a  sheet  of 
rubber  or  leather. 

The  inclined  under  cutter  is  adjustable  in  two  direc- 
tions, thus  providing  a  means  of  taking  up  any  wear  of 
the  cutter  and  for  changing  either  the  depth  of  the  cut 
or  its  location. 

The  cutters  used  on  this  machine  are  novel  in  con- 
struction, those  employed  for  trimming  the  side  of  the 
plate  being  cup-shaped  and  furnished  with  six  or  more 
cutting  teeth.  These  teeth  are  formed  so  as  to  produce 
a  shaving  cut,  the  object  of  which  is  to  enable  the 
operator  to  crowd  the  work  through  the  machine  more 
rapidly  than  would  be  possible  with  one  or  two  cutting 
tools  only,  and  at  the  same  time  leave  a  smooth  and 
finished  surface. 

The  under  cutter  is  provided  with  ten  teeth  so 
ground  as  to  leave  ample  clearance  at  the  ends  and 
sides. 

This  machine  admits  of  very  rapid  execution,  a 
good  operator  having  by  actual  count  trimmed  six  full- 
length  columns,  sides  and  bottom,  in  forty  seconds. 

To  produce  the  best  results  the  side  cutters  should 
be  driven  about  4,000  revolutions  a  minute.  A  higher 
speed  would  not  add  to  the  capacity  of  the  machine 


STEREOTYPING.  105 

because  the  increased  friction  would  result  in  a  wear 
of  the  cutters  which  would  not  be  compensated  for  by 
the  increased  velocity.  This  fact  holds  true  with  all 
cutting  machines  —  that  there  is  a  limit  to  the  speed  at 
which  they  can  be  operated  with  economy. 


106  STEREOTYPING. 


CHAPTER  IX. 
ROUTING   AND   BEVELING. 

WHEN  stereotypes  are  produced  from  molds  of 
zinc  etchings  or  other  cuts  in  which  the  relief 
is  shallow,  or  when  the  matrix  of  a  type  form  has  not 
been  carefully  packed,  more  or  less  routing  or  chiseling 
must  be  done  to  deepen  the  relief  sufficiently  to  prevent 
blacking  or  smutting  the  paper  in  printing.  In  news- 
paper work  the  curved  plates,  after  having  been  shaved, 
are  placed  on  a  circular  iron  horse,  or  bench,  raised  to 
a  convenient  height  from  the  floor,  and  the  superfluous 
metal  is  removed  from  the  edges  with  an  iron  hand 
plane.  The  reliefs  are  then  deepened,  where  necessary, 
with  mallet  and  chisels.  The  ordinary  chisels  used  by 
carpenters  are  too  long  to  be  used  advantageously  for 
this  purpose,  but  may  be  made  to  answer  admirably  by 
cutting  off  one-half  the  blade  and  inserting  the  chisel 
further  into  the  handle.  Three  or  four  sizes  of  chisels 
and  gouges  are  employed,  some  with  straight  blades, 
and  others  bent  or  off-set  so  as  to  facilitate  their  opera- 
tion in  places  where  the  use  of  a  straight  chisel  would 
bring  the  fingers  of  the  workmen  in  contact  with  the 
plate,  or  would  be  otherwise  inconvenient. 

Flat  newspaper  plates  are  finished  in  much  the  same 
manner  except  that  a  flat  iron  finishing  plate  takes  the 
place  of  the  iron  horse.  Both  horse  and  plate  are  pro- 
vided at  one  end  with  raised  stops  against  which  the 


STEREOTYPING. 


107 


plate  rests  during  the  operation  of  chiseling.  When  the 
quantity  of  metal  to  be  removed  is  considerable,  as  is 
sometimes  the  case  with  illustrated  book  or  flat  news- 
paper pages,  the  work  may  be  done  much  more  rapidly 
and  accurately  with  the  routing  machine,  an  illustra- 


FINISHING  CYLINDER. 

tion  of  which  is  shown  on  page  109.  A  rapidly  revolv- 
ing vertical  spindle  carries  on  its  lower  end  a  chuck  in 
which  may  be  secured  cutting  tools  of  various  sizes 
suited  to  the  nature  of  the  work.  The  bearing  in  which 
the  spindle  turns  is  fastened  to  a  bar,  one  end  of  which 
serves  as  a  handle  for  guiding  the  tool  over  the  work, 
while  the  other  end  is  pivoted  to  a  second  bar  which  is 


108  STEREOTYPING. 

in  turn  pivoted  to  the  frame  of  the  machine.  The 
double  joints  thus  formed  permit  the  tool  to  be  moved 
freely  in  any  direction  over  the  surface  of  the  machine. 
The  second  bar  is  supported,  at  the  elbow  formed  by 
pivoting  together  the  first  and  second  bars,  by  a  steel 
segment,  and  the  first  bar  rests  on  a  straight  edge  of 
hard  wood  extending  the  entire  length  of  the  machine. 
The  ends  of  the  hard  wood  slide  are  supported  upon 
spring  studs,  which  hold  the  handle  bar  carrying  the 
spindle  high  enough  from  the  table  so  that  the  cutting 
tool  clears  the  work  when  not  in  operation.  A  pedal 
attached  to  a  lever  underneath  the  machine  offers  a 
convenient  means  of  compressing  the  springs,  thereby 
dropping  the  handle  bar  and  permitting  the  tool  to  enter 
the  work.  The  tool  spindle  is  adjustable  in  a  vertical 
direction  to  provide  for  work  of  different  thicknesses, 
as  when  a  change  from  type-high  to  plate  work  or  vice 
versa  is  desired.  This  adjustment  is  obtained  by  means 
of  a  hand  wheel  attached  to  a  threaded  sleeve  in  which 
the  spindle  turns.  The  sleeve  is  provided  with  a  feather 
to  prevent  its  turning  so  that  a  movement  of  the  hand 
wheel  in  either  direction  raises  or  lowers  the  spindle. 

The  work  is  held  by  screw  clamps  which  slide  freely 
in  dovetail  grooves  planed  in  the  bed  of  the  machine. 
Power  is  transmitted  to  the  tool  spindle  by  a  belt  pass- 
ing over  idle  pulleys  attached  to  the  frame  of  the 
machine  to  the  smaller  of  two  cone  pulleys  which  turn 
freely  on  a  stud,  an  extension  of  which  forms  the  pivot 
for  the  junction  of  the  first  and  second  bars.  The 
larger  of  the  cone  pulleys  is  connected  by  an  endless 
belt  with  the  tool  spindle.  To  provide  a  means  of 
taking  up  the  stretch  of  the  endless  belt,  the  bearing 


STEREOTYPING. 


109 


ROUTING  MACHINE. 


110  STEREOTYPING. 

carrying  the  tool  spindle  is  made  adjustable  on  the 
handle  bar. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  location  of  the  pulleys 
at  the  pivotal  points  of  the  radial  arms  enables  the 
operator  to  move  the  tool  spindle  freely  in  any  direction 
without  in  any  way  changing  the  tension  of  the  belt. 

To  perform  smooth  and  rapid  work  router  tools 
require  to  be  driven  at  a  high  speed.  For  routing  stere- 
otype metal  the  speed  should  be  not  less  than  12,000 
revolutions  per  minute.  A  machine  running  so  rapidly 
should,  of  course,  receive  careful  attention.  The  bear- 
ings must  be  kept  clean  and  well  oiled  and  must  not  be 
permitted  to  become  overheated.  Router  tools  for  gen- 
eral work  are  about  the  size  of  a  lead-pencil.  For 
special  work  they  are  made  as  small  as  1-16  of  an  inch 
in  diameter,  and  when  it  is  necessary  to  remove  a  large 
quantity  of  metal  from  one  spot  or  where  the  spaces  to 
be  deepened  are  very  large,  the  size  of  the  tool  may  be 
increased  to  ^2  inch.  For  ordinary  work,  however,  the 
size  first  mentioned  will  be  found  most  serviceable. 
The  most  effective  tool  for  soft  metals  is  made  of 
Stubbs  steel  tempered  to  a  purple  color.  The  cutting 
surface  is  made  in  the  shape  of  a  half  moon,  as  shown 
in  Fig.  4,  page  115,  the  leading  point  being  slightly 
longer  than  the  heel  to  prevent  clogging.  This  tool  is 
sharpened  by  grinding  the  end  only  and  may  therefore 
be  easily  kept  in  order.  To  operate  the  machine  the 
work  is  placed  on  the  bed  as  near  the  center  as  possible 
and  secured  by  the  screw  clamps.  The  tool  spindle  is 
then  moved  over  the  work  and  the  height  adjusted  by 
means  of  the  hand  wheel  until  the  tool  just  clears  the 
plate.  The  machine  is  then  started  and  the  tool  having 


STEREOTYPING. 


Ill 


been  brought  exactly  over  the  space  which  it  is  desired 
to  deepen,  the  operator  places  his  foot  on  the  treadle, 
bringing  the  cutter  into  contact  with  the  plate.  By 
means  of  the  two  handle  bars  the  tool  may  be  moved 
back  and  forth  or  in  circles  until  the  superfluous  metal 
has  been  removed,  when  by  releasing  the  pressure  on 


IMPROVED  BEVELING  MACHINE. 


112  STEREOTYPING. 

the  pedal,  the  tool  is  automatically  raised  clear  of  the 
work  and  may  be  moved  over  to  the  next  space. 

Book  plates,  when  finished  ready  for  the  press,  are 
usually  mounted  on  "  patent  blocks,"  i.  e.,  iron  bases. 
The  plates  are  secured  to  the  bases  by  bevel  clamps 
which  lap  over  the  edges  of  the  plates.  It  is  necessary, 
therefore,  to  provide  a  beveled  edge  on  the  plates.  This 
may  be  done  on  a  shoot-board  by  employing  a  bevel 
plane,  but  when  a  large  number  of  plates  are  to  be 
beveled,  it  is  more  economical  and  satisfactory  to 
employ  a  beveling  machine. 

This  machine  somewhat  resembles  a  trimmer  in 
appearance.  It  has  a  reciprocating  carriage  to  carry 
the  work  to  and  from  the  cutters,  is  provided  with 
gages  for  the  alignment  of  the  work,  and  may  be 
quickly  adjusted  so  as  to  produce  either  a  rabbet  or 
beveled  edge  to  the  plate,  as  may  be  desired. 


STEREOTYPING.  113 


CHAPTER  X. 
REVISING. 

AFTER  book  plates  have  been  finished  ready  for 
blocking,  a  final  proof  is  taken  from  them  and  it 
often  happens  that  errors  are  then  discovered  which 
have  been  overlooked  in  the  first  reading.  It  also  fre- 
quently happens  that  the  author  wishes  to  make  changes 
or  corrections  in  the  matter  after  the  plates  have  been 
finished.  When  such  changes  consist  of  two  or  three 
words,  a  line  or  a  paragraph,  it  is  customary  to  set  up 
and  stereotype  the  corrected  matter  and  after  cutting 
out  the  defective  portion  of  the  plate  the  new  piece  is 
set  in  and  soldered.  When  the  changes  are  no  more 
than  parts  of  a  word  or  single  letters,  such  as  might  be 
due  to  typographical  errors  or  imperfect  type,  the 
defective  letters  are  punched  out  of  the  plate  and  type 
set  in  and  soldered  in  their  place.  For  this  work  special 
tools  are  required,  consisting  of  a  set  of  punches  and 
chisels,  a  pair  of  calipers,  a  revising  stick,  a  pair  of 
cutting  pliers,  a  blow-pipe,  a  soldering  iron,  some  small 
flat  files  and  a  light  hammer.  A  set  of  chisels  and 
punches  consists  of  eight  sizes  corresponding  with  the 
different  sizes  of  type  in  general  use,  namely,  pica, 
small  pica,  long  primer,  bourgeois,  brevier,  minion, 
nonpareil  and  agate.  The  thickness  of  the  tools  corre- 
sponds with  the  letter  i  in  the  respective  fonts.  The 
calipers  are  made  of  two  strips  of  spring  brass  or  steel, 


114 


STEREOTYPING. 


six  inches  in  length,  one-half  inch  wide  at  one  end  and 
tapering  to  one-fourth  of  an  inch  at  the  other.  These 
strips  are  parallel  and  separated  at  the  wide  ends  by  a 
block  of  metal  one-half  inch  in  thickness  to  which  they 
are  soldered.  The  strips  are  slightly  bent  so  that  the 
narrow  ends  are  separated  about  one  inch.  Through 
the  narrow  ends  and  exactly  opposite  each  other  two 
small  holes  are  drilled  in  which  are  secured,  by  solder- 
ing or  riveting,  steel  points  one-fourth  of  an  inch  in 


L 


REVISING  CHISEL. 


CALIPERS. 


REVISING  PUNCH. 


length.  These  points  are  so  located  that  when  the 
strips  are  pressed  together  they  will  exactly  meet.  Any 
stereotyper  possessed  of  a  little  ingenuity  can  make 
these  calipers,  and  also  his  revising  stick. 


STEREOTYPING. 


115 


The  revising  stick  is  made  of  a  piece  of  printer's 
brass  rule  six  inches  or  more  in  length  to  one  edge  and 
one  end  of  which  a  strip  of  brass  one-eighth  of  an  inch 
square  is  soldered,  as  shown  on  this  page.  This 


FIG.  4. —  ROUTER  TOOL. 


DANIELS'  PLANER  TOOL. 


REVISING  STICK. 


makes  a  convenient  and  indispensable  tool  for  holding 
a  single  line  of  type  while  fitting  it  to  the  slot  in  the 
plate  in  which  it  is  to  be  soldered. 

A  line  gage  (page  101)  is  a  convenient  tool  for 
detecting  errors  of  alignment  between  the  inserted  type 
and  the  remainder  of  the  line,  although  its  more  com- 
mon use  is  for  the  alignment  of  newspaper  headings  or 
other  jobs,  made  up  of  capitals  and  lower-case  letters, 


116  STEREOTYPING. 

in  which  the  capitals  only  come  to  the  top  of  the  line. 
In  trimming  a  line  composed  of  a  capital  letter  followed 
by  several  lower-case  letters,  the  width  of  the  block 
must,  of  course,  correspond  with  the  width  of  the 
capital,  and  it  is  apparent  that  without  a  guide  it  would 
be  difficult  to  so  trim  a  block  that  the  lower-case  letters 
would  all  be  at  an  equal  distance  from  the  top  and 
bottom  of  the  block.  The  same  difficulty  would  occur 
in  trimming  any  kind  of  a  job  requiring  a  margin  above 
and  below  the  matter.  The  line  gage  enables  the 
operator  to  trim  the  edges  of  such  jobs  exactly  parallel 
with  the  printing  face  and  is  therefore  an  important 
and  almost  indispensable  tool  to  the  job  stereotyper. 
It  consists  first  of  the  brass  base,  a  having  a  right- 
angled  face,  a1  and  a  groove  planed  in  its  upper 
surface  to  admit  the  sliding  gage  b  which  is  secured  in 
any  desired  position  by  the  thumb-screw  c.  In  opera- 
tion the  edge  of  the  sliding  gage  b  is  set  and  locked  by 
means  of  the  thumb-screw,  at  a  distance  from  the  face 
a1  corresponding  with  the  desired  margin  on  the  stereo- 
type. In  revising,  the  edge  b  is  set  in  alignment  with 
the  line  in  which  the  correction  is  to  be  made.  After 
the  type  has  been  inserted,  and  before  it  is  permanently 
secured  by  soldering,  an  application  of  the  gage  will 
determine  whether  the  alignment  is  perfect. 

The  blow-pipe  is  used  for  soldering  in  places  which 
can  not  be  conveniently  reached  with  the  soldering  iron. 
One  form  consists  of  a  Y  of  brass  tubing,  one  of  whose 
arms  is  connected  by  means  of  a  rubber  tube  with  the 
gas  supply.  By  blowing  in  the  other  arm  of  the  Y  a 
stream  of  air  is  mixed  with  the  gas,  adding  greatly  to 
the  heat.  By  reason  of  the  flexible  connection  the  point 


STEREOTYPING.  117 

of  flame  may  be  directed  accurately  to  the  exact  spot 
where  the  heat  is  required. 

Referring  to  page  114,  the  cutting  ends  of  the 
revising  punches  are  provided  with  V  grooves  which 
give  to  the  tools  two  cutting  edges,  thus  admitting 
of  a  sharp  clean  cut  through  the  plate  just  the  size 
of  the  type  which  is  to  be  inserted.  To  correct  a  plate, 
the  operator  first  marks,  with  his  calipers,  the  loca- 
tion of  the  defective  letter  upon  the  back  of  the  plate 
which,  for  this  purpose,  is  inserted  between  the  parallel 
arms  of  the  calipers  until  one  end  of  the  steel  points 
overhangs  the  defective  letter  when  the  other  point, 
which  is  exactly  opposite,  is  pressed  into  the  back 
of  the  plate  or  slightly  scratched  thereon.  With  a 
small  chisel  a  groove  is  now  made  at  the  point  marked 
by  the  calipers  to  the  depth  of  one-half  or  more  of 
the  thickness  of  the  plate.  A  punch  of  the  proper  size 
having  been  selected,  the  plate  is  turned  over,  face 
up,  upon  a  block  of  wood  and  with  a  quick,  sharp  blow 
with  the  hammer,  the  letter  is  punched  out.  Turning 
the  plate  over  again,  face  down,  upon  the  finishing 
block,  the  type  is  inserted  in  the  hole  and  the  con- 
tiguous metal  crowded  against  it  with  a  chisel,  until  it 
is  secured  against  dropping  out,  when  the  face  is  exam- 
ined to  see  that  the  inserted  type  is  in  alignment  with 
the  remainder  of  the  line,  and  level  with  the  surface  of 
the  plate.  Care  must  be  taken  to  keep  the  type  on  its 
feet,  that  is  to  say,  it  must  not  lean  from  a  perpendic- 
ular. Everything  being  in  readiness,  the  body  of  the 
type  which  has  been  left  projecting  through  the  plate  is 
cut  off  with  the  cutting  pliers,  level  with  the  back  of  the 
plate,  and  a  little  muriatic  acid,  in  which  zinc  has  been 


118  STEREOTYPING. 

dissolved  to  saturation,  is  dropped  on  it.  A  small  piece 
of  solder  is  now  dropped  on  the  end  of  the  type  and 
melted  either  by  the  blow-pipe  or  soldering  iron,  thus 
rigidly  securing  it  in  position.  It  is  of  course  necessary 
that  the  soldering  shall  be  done  with  some  delicacy, 
otherwise  there  will  be  danger  of  melting  the  surround- 
ing metal  or  the  type  itself  to  such  an  extent  as  to  injure 
the  face.  When  cool,  the  superfluous  solder  is  removed 
with  a  chisel  or  flat  file.  When  necessary  to  insert  sev- 
eral consecutive  letters  the  slot  made  by  the  punch  is 
enlarged  with  chisel  and  file  to  the  size  of  the  correction, 
and  the  type,  which  has  been  previously  set  up  in  the 
revising  stick,  is  inserted  and  temporarily  secured  as 
before.  Somewhat  more  skill  is  required  to  make  a 
correction  of  this  kind  than  to  insert  a  single  letter,  as 
the  slot  must  be  kept  parallel  and  in  exact  alignment 
with  the  remainder  of  the  line,  and  this  is  a  more  diffi- 
cult matter  than  to  punch  a  single  hole  in  the  plate. 
When  the  slot  has  been  made  too  large,  as  sometimes 
occurs,  the  types  are  aligned  by  crowding  the  contig- 
uous metal  against  that  side  of  the  type  which  is  above 
or  below  the  line.  When  the  types  have  been  properly 
placed  they  are  usually  partially  secured  by  soldering 
before  cutting  ofT  the  bodies,  as  otherwise  there  would 
be  danger  of  disturbing  them  by  the  action  of  the  pliers. 
When  the  correction  consists  of  several  words  or 
parts  of  lines  joining  each  other,  the  matter  is  set  up 
and  stereotyped  in  the  usual  manner.  The  corrected 
piece  so  made  is  laid  on  the  plate  in  the  position  it  is  to 
occupy  and  with  a  graver  or  other  sharp-pointed  tool 
its  exact  outline  is  marked  on  the  plate.  A  hole  is 
drilled  in  one  corner  and  the  defective  portion  of  the 


STEREOTYPING.  119 

plate  removed  with  a  jig-saw.  The  correction  is  then 
inserted,  the  plate  turned  face  down,  and  a  drop  of 
solder  applied  to  each  of  the  four  corners.  During  the 
operation  of  soldering,  the  plate  and  the  correction 


COMBINED  JIG-SAW  AND  DRILL. 


120  STEREOTYPING. 

should  both  be  pressed  firmly  against  the  finishing  block 
to  prevent  any  warping  or  springing  of  the  pieces  which 
might  be  caused  by  the  heat  of  the  iron.  For  this  pur- 
pose the  cutting  pliers  may  be  reversed,  the  end  of  one 
handle  being  used  to  hold  the  plate  and  the  other  to 
hold  the  correction. 

When  the  correction  consists  of  an  entire  paragraph 
it  may  easily  be  made  by  sawing  out  the  defective  por- 
tion altogether,  and  soldering  in  the  stereotyped  sub- 
stitute. 

One  of  the  most  convenient  tools  in  the  foundry  is 
the  type  gage  (page  101).  It  is  used  chiefly  for  com- 
paring the  dimensions  of  finished  work  with  different 
standards  of  patterns,  and  also  for  detecting  inaccu- 
racies in  the  height  of  finished  work. 

The  tool  is  made  entirely  of  steel,  case-hardened  to 
prevent  wear  by  friction,  and  the  adjustable  jaw  accu- 
rately fitted  on  the  bar  upon  which  it  slides.  The  dis- 
tance between  the  points  of  the  jaws  is  about  6-1000  of 
an  inch  greater  than  at  the  heels,  and  the  graduating 
marks,  therefore,  if  the  tool  is  accurately  made,  will 
show  variations  of  i-iooo  of  an  inch.  In  other  words, 
a  block  which  could  be  inserted  the  full  length  of  the 
jaws  and  fit  snugly  therein  would  be  6-1000  of  an  inch 
thinner  than  one  which  would  barely  enter  the  points, 
and  3-1000  of  an  inch  thinner  than  one  which  could  be 
inserted  one-half  the  length  of  the  jaws.  Practically 
these  measurements  would  not  be  exact,  and  it  is  not 
material  that  they  should  be,  for  the  tool  is  not  designed 
for  measuring,  but  comparing.  The  essential  feature 
of  the  tool  is  that,  whatever  may  be  the  location  of  the 
adjustable  jaw  upon  the  bar,  the  distance  between  the 


STEREOTYPING.  121 

points  of  the  jaws  must  always  be  slightly  greater  than 
the  distance  between  the  heels. 

Every  job  stereotyper  should  possess  a  set  of  brass 
standards  based  upon  the  printer's  universal  unit  of 
measurement,  the  pica.  These  standards  should  be 
twenty-six  or  more  in  number,  ranging  from  one  to 
twenty-six  picas  in  length. 

The  convenience  of  such  standards  will  be  apparent 
when  it  is  remembered  that  all  large  type,  such  as  is 
employed  for  newspaper  headings,  etc.,  is  made  to 
occupy  the  space  of  a  certain  number  of  lines  pica,  and 
is  for  this  reason  called  six-line  type,  seven-line  type, 
etc.  A  six-line  heading,  therefore,  must  be  trimmed 
down  to  occupy  exactly  the  space  of  six  pica  lines,  and 
the  use  of  the  type  gage  and  the  brass  standards  enables 
the  operator  to  do  his  work  with  absolute  accuracy,  for, 
by  locking  the  jaws  of  the  gage  upon  his  six-line 
standard  and  noting  the  distance  the  standard  will  enter 
the  jaws,  and  afterward  trimming  his  heading  until  it 
will  enter  the  jaws  to  the  same  graduating  mark,  he 
may  be  certain  of  absolute  uniformity  between  them. 

In  addition  to  the  pica  standards  the  stereotyper 
should  have  a  steel  block  about  three  inches  long,  one 
and  one-half  inches  wide  and  exactly  type  high,  i.  e., 
.918  of  an  inch.  Such  a  gage  is  useful  for  testing  the 
height  of  finished  work,  but  more  particularly  for  set- 
ting the  knife  of  the  shaving  machine,  for  which  pur- 
pose it  is  placed  upon  the  bed  of  the  machine  and  the 
knife  screwed  down  until  it  will  just  touch  it.  A  block 
of  metal  is  then  shaved  by  the  machine  and  compared, 
by  means  of  the  type  gage,  with  the  type-high  standard. 
Should  a  variation  be  discovered  the  knife  may  be 


122  STEREOTYPING. 

adjusted  until  the  shaved  block  and  the  standard  are 
uniform. 

Book  plates  are  usually  worked  upon  patent  blocks 
and«  must  be  finished  exactly  eleven  points  in  thick- 
ness. For  testing  this  class  of  work  a  standard  should 
be  provided  eleven  points  thick,  but  cin  other  respects 
similar  to  the  type-high  standard. 


STEREOTYPING.  123 


CHAPTER  XL 
BLOCKING. 

BOOK  or  job  plates  which  are  not  used  on  patent 
blocks  are  usually  mounted  on  blocks  of  cherry  or 
mahogany  and  are  secured  thereto  by  screws  or  tacks 
or  anchored  by  bolts  of  metal. 

Owing  to  its  close  grain,  mahogany  is  the  better 
wood  for  mounting  stereotypes,  but  as  it  is  very  expen- 
sive it  has  given  place  largely  to  cherry  and  cheaper 
woods. 

To  prepare  the  wood  for  use,  it  must  first  be  thor- 
oughly dried  by  stacking  it  up  for  a  sufficient  length  of 
time  in  a  warm,  dry  atmosphere,  or  by  drying  it  in  a 
kiln.  Wood  which  has  been  stacked  in  a  yard  under 
cover,  in  such  a  manner  that  the  air  has  had  free  access 
to  all  its  surfaces,  is  preferable  to  kiln-dried  lumber,  as 
it  is  much  less  liable  to  be  affected  by  changes  of  atmos- 
phere, but  such  lumber  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  obtain, 
and  as  a  rule  the  stereotyper  finds  it  necessary  to  have 
his  wood  kiln-dried. 

Having  been  dried,  the  lumber  must  be  dressed  in 
such  a  manner  that  its  surfaces  will  be  perfectly  flat  and 
parallel  with  each  other.  For  this  purpose  the  Daniels 
Planer  is  employed.  Lumber  which  has  been  through 
the  Nichols  Dryer,  or  which  has  been  otherwise  dried 
so  that  it  is  perfectly  flat,  may  be  dressed  by  passing  it 
through  the  shaving  machine,  but  this  is  a  tedious 


124  STEREOTYPING. 

process,  as  it  is  usually  necessary  to  take  off  a  number 
of  cuts  to  reduce  it  to  the  proper  thickness  for  blocking. 
The  lumber  may  also,  if  perfectly  flat,  be  dressed  in  a 
Pony  Planer,  but  if  warped  or  twisted,  this  machine  is 
not  suitable,  for,  while  the  lumber  is  flattened  by  the 
pressure  rollers  during  the  operation  of  planing,  it 
immediately  springs  back  to  the  original  shape  on  being 
released.  It  is  consequently  more  economical,  and  the 
results  more  satisfactory,  to  employ  a  Daniels  Planer 
for  this  work,  although  the  first  cost  of  the  machine 
might  be  considered  excessive  by  small  establishments. 
The  peculiar  advantage  of  this  machine  consists  in  the 
fact  that  the  wood  is  always  left  perfectly  flat  and  level, 
no  matter  how  badly  it  may  have  been  warped  or 
sprung  before  planing.  It  is  possible,  therefore,  to 
use  lumber  which  would  otherwise  be  wasted  through 
inability  to  reduce  it  to  a  proper  condition  for  blocking. 
Referring  to  page  125  it  will  be  observed  that  the 
cutting  tools  of  the  Daniels  Planer  are  secured  in  a 
revolving  disk  which  is  vertically  adjustable  by  means 
of  the  crank  shown  at  the  extreme  top  of  the  machine. 
Power  is  communicated  to  the  disk  by  a  belt  passing 
over  idlers,  at  the  rear  of  the  upright  frame,  to  the 
pulley  on  the  disk  shaft.  One  of  these  idlers  is  secured 
to  the  shaft,  which  has  on  its  outer  end  a  grooved 
pulley,  and  thus  provides  a  means  of  transmitting 
power  to  the  worm  shaft,  shown  at  the  side  of  the 
machine,  which  meshes  with  a  worm  wheel  that  is 
secured  to  a  shaft  which  passes  under  the  traveling  bed 
and  is  provided  on  its  inner  end  with  a  small  pinion, 
which  engages  the  rack  attached  to  the  under  surface 
of  the  bed,  thus  communicating  motion  during  the 


STEREOTYPING.  125 

operation  of  planing.  By  a  simple  mechanism  which  is 
at  all  times  in  control  of  the  operator,  the  worm  is 
thrown  out  of  gear  with  the  worm  wheel,  at  the  termi- 
nation of  the  cut,  and  the  bed  returned  to  its  first  posi- 


DANIELS  PLANER. 

tion  by  hand,  for  which  purpose  the  worm  wheel  is  pro- 
vided with  a  handle.  The  lumber  is  held,  during  the 
operation  of  planing,  between  the  jaws  of  the  two  ser- 
rated clamps,  one  of  which  may  be  set  and  locked  at 
any  point  on  the  bed.  The  other  clamp  is  provided  with 


126  STEREOTYPING. 

a  threaded  extension  which  passes  through  a  slot  in  the 
bed  and  is  there  connected  with  a  screw  extending  the 
full  length  of  the  bed  and  terminating  in  the  crank 
handle  shown  at  the  front  of  the  machine.  In  opera- 
tion the  first  clamp  is  put  in  proper  position  and  locked, 
the  board  placed  between  the  jaws  and  the  second 
clamp  drawn  up  to  it  by  means  of  the  crank  mentioned. 
The  board  is  thus  securely  held  in  its  natural  position, 
without  springing  or  rocking,  which  on  passing  beneath 
the  revolving  cutter  head  has  its  upper  surface  made 
perfectly  flat  and  level.  The  board  is  then  turned  over 
with  its  flat  surface  lying  on  the  bed  of  the  machine  and 
again  passed  under  the  knives,  which  reduce  it  to  the 
desired  thickness.  The  cutter  head  is  raised  and 
lowered  by  a  graduating  adjusting  screw  operated  by 
the  crank  shown  at  the  top  of  the  machine,  and  may  be 
thus  always  returned  to  the  proper  height  for  the  finish- 
ing cut  without  going  to  the  trouble  of  comparing  each 
board  with  a  standard.  The  adjusting  screw  is  also 
provided  with  a  jamb  nut  which  may  be  locked  after 
the  proper  point  has  been  determined,  thereby  prevent- 
ing the  disk  from  going  below  the  desired  distance 
from  the  bed  of  the  machine.  The  cutting  tools  for  the 
Daniels  Planer,  four  in  number,  are  of  peculiar  shape 
and  require  some  care  in  grinding  in  order  to  preserve 
the  original  angles.  The  cutting  nose  of  the  tool  is 
rounded  and  a  knife  edge  obtained  by  hollow-grinding 
the  end  of  the  tool  back  from  the  point.  The  heel  is 
raised  high  enough  to  provide  ample  clearance.  Owing 
to  the  large  size  of  the  disk  and  the  fact  that  the  tool 
sockets  are  located  near  its  periphery,  the  machine 
should  be  driven  at  a  slow  speed.  Suppose  the  disk  to 


STEREOTYPING.  127 

be  eighteen  inches  in  diameter  and  the  cutting  tools  to 
be  placed  eight  inches  from  the  center,  then  the  disk 
running  at  a  speed  of  1,500  revolutions  would  give  to 
the  cutters  a  travel  of  about  5,000  feet  per  minute, 
which  is  about  all  that  a  sharp-edged  tool  operating  in 
hard  wood  can  be  made  to  stand,  as  the  heat  caused  by 
the  friction  of  a  more  rapid  speed  would  draw  the 
temper  of  the  tools.  After  planing,  the  boards  are  cut 
into  convenient  lengths  for  handling  and  the  plates 
secured  to  them  by  means  of  wire  brads,  if  the  cuts  are 
small.  If  large,  screws  are  employed  in  addition  to  the 
brads,  with  the  object  of  preventing  the  block  from 
warping  and  drawing  away  from  the  plate.  Both  brads 
and  screws  are  driven  through  the  thin  places  in  the 
plate,  i.  e.,  the  spaces.  For  the  screws,  holes  must  be 
drilled  and  countersunk,  in  order  that  the  heads  may  be 
sufficiently  depressed  to  avoid  the  danger  of  smutting 
the  printed  impression. 

It  is  sometimes  customary  also  to  drill  holes  for  the 
brads,  and  this  is  undoubtedly  the  safest  course  for  the 
amateur,  although  an  expert  workman  will  usually 
drive  the  brad  through  the  metal  unless  it  is  unusually 
thick.  It  sometimes  happens  that  a  plate  will  be  found 
to  have  no  spaces  in  which  brads  may  be  driven,  as,  for 
instance,  a  stereotyped  engraving.  In  this  case  it 
becomes  necessary  to  "  anchor  "  the  plate  to  the  block. 
For  this  purpose  holes  about  one-fourth  of  an  inch  in 
diameter  are  bored  through  the  block  and  deeply  coun- 
tersunk on  both  sides.  If  the  plate  has  been  finished 
long  enough  to  have  become  oxidized,  the  back  is 
brightened  by  filing  and  it  is  then  laid  on  the  block  and 
secured  thereto  by  small  hand  clamps.  It  is  then  turned 


128  STEREOTYPING. 

over  on  its  face  and  after  a  very  small  quantity  of 
soldering  fluid  has  been  applied  to  the  plate  through  the 
holes,  melted  solder  is  poured  in  until  the  holes  are  full. 
The  plate  is  thus  securely  anchored  to  the  block.  It  is 
important,  of  course,  to  have  the  solder  not  too  hot,  as 
in  that  case  there  would  be  danger  of  its  melting 
through  the  plate.  When  a  large  number  of  small  cuts 
are  to  be  mounted,  it  is  customary  to  tack  them  onto  a 
board  as  large  as  may  conveniently  be  planed,  leaving 
sufficient  room  between  to  saw  them  apart.  Should  it 
be  necessary  to  take  a  final  shaving  off  from  the  bottom 
of  the  cuts,  after  they  have  been  blocked,  it  may  be  done 
more  conveniently  if  several  are  shaved  at  a  time  than 
if  each  one  had  to  be  handled  separately. 

Very  large  blocks  are  apt  to  warp,  in  time,  in  spite 
of  all  precautions  that  may  be  taken  to  prevent  it,  and 
to  reduce  this  tendency  to  a  minimum  such  blocks  are 
made  in  sections,  and  are  called  "  end  blocks,"  because 
the  ends  of  the  blocks  are  made  of  strips  of  wood  with 
the  grain  running  across  the  grain  of  the  main  block. 
A  crude  way  of  making  such  blocks  is  to  drill  screw 
holes  through  the  narrow  strips,  countersink  them 
deeply,  and  after  clamping  the  block  and  strips  to  a  flat 
surface,  drive  the  screws  home.  The  blocks  and  strips 
are  made  of  rough  lumber,  except  that  the  ends  of  the 
block  and  the  sides  of  the  strips  are  finished  square  to 
secure  a  good  joint.  After  they  are  screwed  together 
the  block  is  passed  through  the  "Daniels  Planer,  which 
corrects  any  unevenness  due  to  careless  or  inaccurate 
work. 

While  such  end  blocks  are  preferable  to  a  block 
having  no  protection  against  warping,  they  are  inferior 


STEREOTYPING. 


129 


to  a  block  whose  end  strips  are  secured  by  means  of  a 
dovetailed  mortise  and  tenon,  for  the  screwed  end  strip 
is  secured  to  the  block  at  intervals  only,  while  the  dove- 


DOVETAILING    MACHINE. 

tailed  strip  has  a  continuous  grip  on  the  end  of  the 
block. 

For  the  manufacture  of  such  blocks  a  machine  has 
been  designed  which  rapidly  and  accurately  fits  the 
different  sections.  It  is  called  a  dovetailing  and  box 


130  STEREOTYPING. 

machine,  and  for  large  foundries  is  a  convenient  and 
desirable  tool.  The  cutting  tools  are  a  thick  gouge 
saw  of  about  number  three  gage,  which  cuts  a  slot 
in  the  board  or  strip,  and  a  vertical  revolving  cutter 
which  follows  in  the  slot  and  changes  it  to  a  dovetail 
groove.  The  mechanism  for  driving  the  saw  and  cutter 
is  sufficiently  explained  by  the  engraving  on  .page  129. 
The  parallel  side  gage  against  which  the  board  is 
pressed  during  the  cutting  of  the  dovetail  can  be 
instantly  changed  by  means  of  the  small  lever  at  the 
right  of  the  machine,  so  that  either  the  center  or  the 
edge  of  the  strip  may  be  thrown  in  alignment  with  the 
cutters,  thus  providing  a  means  for  cutting  the  dove- 
tailed groove  in  one  board  and  a  rabbet  on  another. 
The  mechanism  for  changing  the  side  gage  from  one 
position  to  the  other  is  such  that  there  can  be  no  varia- 
tion in  the  distance  it  is  moved  and  whatever  position  it 
occupies  it  is  automatically  locked  therein,  thus  insuring 
absolute  uniformity  of  work.  The  machine  may  be 
readily  adjusted  to  operate  in  lumber  of  different  thick- 
nesses, from  one-half  inch  to  one  inch  or  more. 

Book  plates  are  seldom  mounted  on  wooden  blocks, 
as  they  can  be  more  cheaply  made  and  more  satisfac- 
torily "  worked  "  on  "  patent  blocks,"  with  a  supply  of 
which  every  large  book-publishing  house  is  provided. 
"  Patent  blocks  "  are  made  of  iron,  finished  one  pica 
less  than  height  of  type  and  furnished  with  clamping 
devices,  which  secure  the  plate  to  the  base.  The  best 
blocks  are  made  in  sections  and  may  be  readily  made 
up  to  fit  any  size  of  plate.  The  clamps  are  beveled  so 
as  to  overlap  the  beveled  edge  of  the  plate,  and  upon 
one  side  of  the  block  are  made  adjustable  so  that  by 


STEREOTYPING. 


131 


NAILING  MACHINE. 


132 


STEREOTYPING. 


means  of  small-toothed  wheels,  operated  by  a  rack, 
they  may  be  snugly  clamped  against  the  edge  of  the 
plate. 

In  fastening  thin  stereotype  plates  to  wood  blocks 
it  is  necessary  to  nail  them.  This  is  ordinarily  done  by 
hand,  but  recently  perfected  nailing  machines  make  the 
work  more  certain,  rapid  and  free  from  the  risk  of 


MORTISING  OR  REVISING  MACHINE. 


STEREOTYPING.  133 

injuring  the  plate  through  the  slipping  of  a  hammer 
in  hand  nailing. 

Every  stereotyping  plant  should  possess  a  patent 
plate-mortising  and  correcting  machine  (also  called  a 
revising  machine),  for  it  is  one  of  the  most  valuable 
time  and  labor  saving  machines  ever  brought  out  for 
stereotypers.  It  does  away  with  hand-revising  punches, 
calipers,  gravers,  etc.  A  series  of  variable  sized 
punches  are  supported  on  a  rotary  holder.  They  can 
be  brought  under  the  plunger,  which  is  operated  by  a 
hand  lever.  The  die  in  the  bed  is  adjustable  so  that  all 
cuts  will  be  clean  and  absolutely  perpendicular,  so  that 
type  can  be  set  in  with  exactness  at  once,  as  no  burs 
are  formed.  Suitable  gages  help  to  locate  the  exact 
point  where  the  mortise  is  to  be  made.  Openings  that 
will  accommodate  type-bodies  from  4  to  12  point,  a 
single  letter  to  an  entire  line,  can  be  formed  with  a 
precision  that  is  absolutely  unattainable  by  means  of 
hand  punches.  When  more  than  one  letter  to  a  line 
has  to  be  corrected  the  guide  or  locating  gages  insure 
exact  alignment.  Special  punches  can  be  made  to  fit 
the  type-bodies  of  any  country  at  a  moderate  cost. 


134  STEREOTYPING. 


APPENDIX. 


AUTOPLATE,  THE.— The  Autoplate  consists  of  com- 
bined casting  and  finishing  mechanisms  which  cooperate  to 
automatically  cast,  shave  and  trim  at  the  head,  foot  and  sides, 
and  deliver  ready  for  use,  curved  stereotype  printing-plates 
at  the  rate  of  three  and  a  half  per  minute.  At  one  end  of  the 
machine  is  the  casting  mechanism  in  which  the  matrix  is 
secured  (the  operation  of  securing  the  matrix  occupies  less 
time  and  may  be  done  with  more  convenience  than  with  the 
present  hand-box).  Once  the  matrix  is  in  position,  the  oper- 
ator, at  the  casting  end  of  the  machine,  throws  down  the  lever 
and  the  casting  apparatus  proceeds  automatically  to  cast  and 
deliver  plates  to  the  finishing  mechanism  which  adjoins  it.  As 
each  cast  is  ejected  from  the  casting  chamber  it  is  automatic- 
ally thrust  into  the  finishing  mechanism  where,  likewise  auto- 
matically, it  is  trimmed,  head,  foot  and  sides,  shaved  out,  its 
bevels  finished  and  delivered  ready  for  printing.  If  large 
blanks  throughout  the  body  of  a  matrix  are  not  properly 
backed  up  they  will  have  to  be  dressed  out  of  the  pktes  by 
hand,  but  all  other  finishing  the  machine  takes  care  of.  The 
Autoplate  is  so  arranged  that  a  change  may  be  made  from  one 
matrix  to  another  with  the  loss  of  but  one  casting  operation ; 
thus  it  is  easy  (and  results  in  the  loss  of  but  a  small  fraction 
of  a  minute)  to  change  from  the  casting  of  one  page  to 
that  of  another.  It  should  be  understood  that  the  change  of 
matrices,  which  requires  the  stoppage  of  casting,  in  no  wise 
interferes  with  the  operation  of  finishing  all  the  plates  that 
are  in  the  machine  at  the  time  for  the  change.  All  the  waste 
from  finishing  —  sawdust,  shavings  and  tails  —  goes  into  a 
receptacle,  from  which  it  may  be  removed  with  a  shovel  and 
thrown  back  into  the  furnace;  thus  all  stereotype  metal  is 


STEREOTYPING.  135 

conserved  and  kept  free  from  the  floor  dirt  which  is  usually 
mixed  with  it.  From  three  to  four  men  only  are  necessary 
to  the  operation  of  the  Autoplate  machine  —  one  to  look  after 
the  casting  end,  another  to  look  after  the  supply  of  metal,  and 
the  third  or  fourth  to  inspect  the  plates  as  they  are  delivered 
and  lift  them  off  the  machine. 

BACKING  POWDER.— The  following  backing  com- 
pounds are  all  good  and  are  all  patented :  ( I )  Four  parts  lime, 
one  part  wheat  flour.  (2)  Equal  parts  lime,  wheat  flour  and 
plaster  of  paris,  and  one-sixteenth  part  alum.  (3)  Forty-three 
parts  marble  dust  and  seven  parts  wheat  flour. 

BEATING  THE  MATRIX.— It  is  better  to  strike  a  large 
number  of  light  blows  with  the  brush  than  a  less  number  of 
heavy  blows,  for  unless  the  operator  is  an  expert,  a  heavy 
blow  will  be  liable  to  split  the  flong  and,  moreover,  light  blows 
oft  repeated  will  drive  the  flong  into  the  bowls  or  counters 
of  the  types  where  depth  of  impression  is  most  desired,  while 
the  heavy  blow  drives  the  flong  down  between  the  lines  of  type 
rather  than  into  the  bowls,  thereby  forming  ridges  on  the  face 
of  the  matrix. 

BELTS,  RULE  FOR  CALCULATING  LENGTH  OF.— 
Add  the  diameters  of  the  two  pulleys  together,  divide  the 
result  by  two,  and  multiply  the  quotient  by  3  1-7;  then  add 
this  product  to  twice  the  distance  between  the  center  of  the 
shafts. 

BELTS  SLIPPING.— A  belt  slips  only  when  it  gets  too 
heavy  a  load  to  drive,  or  when  it  gets  dry  and  out  of  condition. 
When  a  belt  gets  saturated  with  waste  oil,  an  application  of 
ground  chalk  will  soon  absorb  the  oil  and  make  the  belt  work- 
able. Belting  having  joints  cemented  only  is  quite  as  good  as 
if  the  belt  were  formed  of  solid  leather  from  end  to  end.  It 
lasts  much  longer  and  drives  better  than  when  cut  up  with 
sewing.  Belts  running  over  pulleys  of  small  diameter  at  high 
speed  ought  to  be  as  thin  and  as  wide  as  possible.  Orange-tan 
leather  of  uniform  thickness  answers  remarkably  well.  Thin 
belts,  as  wide  as  possible,  give  by  far  the  best  results  working 
vertically.  A  thick  vertical  belt  will  not  hug  the  pulleys. 


136  STEREOTYPING. 

BENDING  A  SMALL  MATRIX.— Make  your  matrix 
soft,  i.  e.,  with  a  minimum  quantity  of  glue,  whiting  or  other 
stiffening,  and  depend  on  felt  packing  to  hold  your  spaces. 
Pieces  of  heavy  press  blanket  will  answer,  or  you  can  procure 
a  felt  packing  made  especially  for  the  purpose.  The  packing 
can  be  used  several  times,  and  when  once  cut  to  fit  the  blanks 
can  be  very  quickly  placed  in  position. 

BLISTERED  MATRICES.—  Blistering  indicates  that 
there  is  too  much  water  in  your  paste,  that  your  paste  is  not 
sufficiently  adhesive,  or  that  it  is  not  spread  on  the  paper  with 
sufficient  care.  In  making  matrices  for  molding  half-tones,  it 
is  absolutely  essential  that  the  paper  shall  be  thoroughly  pasted. 
If  any  spots,  however  small,  are  left  uncovered,  the  paper  will 
separate  and  puff  up.  This  sometimes  happens  when  molding 
forms  made  up  exclusively  of  type,  but  is  much  more  likely  on 
flat  surfaces. 

BLISTERING,  CAUSE  OR—  If  flongs  are  properly  made 
in  the  first  place,  the  cause  of  their  blistering  will  be  found 
in  the  fact  that  the  matrices  are  not  thoroughly  dried  out 
before  casting.  If  any  moisture  remains  in  the  matrix  it  will 
be  changed  to  steam  by  the  heat  of  the  metal  and  the  layers 
of  paper  will  be  forced  apart  or  raised  up,  "  blistered,"  by  the 
expansion.  The  molds  should  be  dried  as  thoroughly  as  pos- 
sible on  the  type  and  then  laid  on  a  hot  surface  for  some  time 
until  the  moisture  has  been  entirely  expelled. 

BRUSH  AND  SIEVE.—  The  sieve  and  brush  used  in  pre- 
paring the  paste  are  manufactured  specially  for  the  purpose, 
the  former  being  in  the  form  of  a  basin  with  sieve  bottom, 
secured  in  a  wooden  frame  so  that  the  sifted  paste  will  fall 
into  another  basin  underneath.  The  brush  is  circular  in  form, 
made  of  stiff  bristles  and  provided  with  a  handle  to  facilitate 
its  operation.  Both  sieve  and  brush  should  be  thoroughly 
washed  as  soon  as  possible  after  using,  as  it  is  no  easy  matter 
to  clean  them  after  the  paste  has  dried. 

BRUSHES,  LEVELING  STEREOTYPE  BEATING.- 
The  method  most  commonly  employed  is  to  touch  the  brush 


STEREOTYPING.  137 

lightly  to  a  perfectly  flat  piece  of  nearly  red-hot  iron,  then 
turn  the  brush  end  for  end  and  touch  it  again,  continuing  the 
process  until  all  the  bristles  are  burned  down  to  the  same 
length.  In  England  the  brushes  are  usually  returned  to  the 
manufacturers  to  be  trimmed  with  shears,  and  this  is  undoubt- 
edly the  better  method,  for  the  reason  that  the  burning  process 
produces  small  knobs  on  the  ends  of  the  bristles,  which  natu- 
rally do  not  increase  the  efficiency  of  the  brush. 

CASTING  LARGE  PLATES.— After  the  matrix  is 
molded,  the  form  is  covered  with  blankets  in  the  usual  way; 
we  then  have  a  ^-inch-thick  steel  plate,  long  enough  to  cover 
form  from  end  to  end ;  then  put  under  steam  table,  tightening 
down  as  usual.  The  eight  inches  or  so  which  are  outside  of 
the  platen  are  held  down  firmly  by  this  steel  plate,  which, 
owing  to  its  thickness,  will  not  spring  up,  thus  giving  an  even 
pressure  on  the  entire  form.  The  same  idea  is  followed  in  the 
casting  of  the  plate,  two  plates  of  *4-inch  thickness  being 
employed,  the  bottom  one,  on  which  matrix  is  placed,  being 
about  forty-eight  inches  long.  After  the  gages  are  put 
around  matrix,  the  top  plate,  which  is  about  three  inches 
shorter  than  the  bottom  one,  is  put  on.  Now  the  box  is  closed 
and  the  fourteen  inches  or  so  extending  out  of  the  box  proper 
are  clamped  together  with  four  clamps  to  prevent  the  plates 
going  apart  as  the  metal  is  being  poured  in.  Taking  every- 
thing into  consideration,  the  variation  in  thickness  of  the  plate 
after  casting  is  very  slight.  Of  course,  a  little  difficulty  was 
experienced  at  first  in  casting  such  long,  thin  plates,  the  metal 
invariably  getting  chilled  before  it  got  to  the  bottom  of  the 
box,  but  at  present  we  make  as  perfect  plates  of  the  "  long  fel- 
low "  as  of  anything  else. 

CELLULOID  PRINTING-PLATES.— In  some  respects 
celluloid  is  a  desirable  material  for  printing-plates.  It  is  hard 
and  durable  and  is  not  affected  by  inks  containing  chemicals 
destructive  to  copper.  Its  plastic  nature  when  warm  insures 
perfect  reproductions,  and  its  light  weight  compared  with 
metal  plates  makes  it  particularly  valuable  for  the  manufac- 
ture of  plates  which  are  to  be  shipped  to  distant  points.  These 


138  STEREOTYPING. 

merits  were  long  ago  recognized,  and  considerable  time  and 
money  have  been  expended  in  experimenting  with  different 
methods  of  production.  One  of  the  difficulties  in  the  way  of 
the  economical  manufacture  of  celluloid  plates  has  been  the 
cost  of  the  molds.  When  cement  molds  are  employed,  only 
one  cast  may  be  obtained  from  a  mold.  When  copper  molds 
are  employed  the  cost  is  so  high  that  the  process  is  impracti- 
cable except  where  a  large  number  of  duplicates  are  required. 
Papier-mache  molds  have  been  used  to  some  extent,  but  the 
tremendous  pressure  required  to  cast  the  celluloid  soon  dis- 
torts or  destroys  the  mold.  A  new  method  of  making  the 
mold,  as  well  as  the  plate  of  celluloid,  has  been  somewhat 
recently  invented  in  Denmark.  It  is  claimed  to  be  a  practical 
and  useful  method,  inexpensive  and  adapted  to  the  needs  of 
the  average  printer.  Specimens  exhibited  by  the  inventor,  and 
testimonials  from  reputable  printers  who  have  tested  the 
plates,  indicate  that  they  possess  exceptional  merit.  However, 
the  celluloid  compositions  used  are  the  inventor's  secret,  and 
may  not  be  published.  In  the  language  of  the  inventor,  "  The 
proceeding  is  as  follows:  The  matrix-celluloid  is  applied  on 
and  melted  down  the  original  at  a  certain  degree  of  heat. 
After  five  minutes  it  is  taken  off,  as  a  full  ready  matrix,  in 
every  way  exactly  as  fine  as  the  original.  After  this  the 
cliche-celluloid  is  made  plastic  at  a  certain  degree  of  heat, 
and,  after  having  been  cooled  about  two  minutes,  the  cliche 
is  ready  to  be  used.  Such  cliches  are  to  be  stuck  —  not 
nailed  —  on  a  wooden  block.  Yet  it  is  absolutely  required  by 
producing  fine  cliches  that  both  kinds  of  celluloid  have  the 
exact  properties  wanted.  The  method  offers  many  advantages, 
not  only  by  its  rapidity  and  surety,  the  cheapness  of  the  mate- 
rial, the  infinitely  little  cost  of  installment,  but  also  by  the 
fact  that  the  material  is  always  at  hand  without  any  preparing 
beforehand.  The  material  may  be  kept  at  any  place  for  years 
without  depreciation.  When  the  reproduction  is  to  be  made 
on  a  smaller  scale  and  not  in  a  manufactory  way,  consequently 
in  printing-offices,  the  proceeding  is  so  simple  that  any  person 
is  able  to  learn  it  in  a  couple  of  days,  and  the  machine  and 
other  smaller  appliances  may  be  procured  at  a  little  amount." 


STEREOTYPING.  139 

CELLULOID  MATRIX  COMPOSITION  (patented  by 
Louis  Ganen). —  Peroxid  of  lead  (red  litharge)  moistened 
with  glycerin  to  the  consistency  of  putty.  It  becomes  hard  as 
a  stone  in  a  few  minutes  and  must  be  molded  at  just  the  right 
instant  while  it  is  setting.  It  will  not  stand  more  than  one 
cast  and  it  is  doubtful  if  any  cement  can  be  made  which  will 
stand  more. 

CELLULOID,  SUBSTITUTE  FOR.— A  consular  report 
from  Frieburg  states  that  a  new  substance  closely  resembling 
celluloid  has  been  produced  by  boiling  untanned  leather  in  oil. 
It  has  the  property  of  being  a  good  electrical  insulator  and  can 
be  used  for  many  purposes.  This  new  material,  to  which  the 
inventor  has  given  the  name  "  marloid,"  can  be  polished  on 
both  sides,  and  in  its  structure  resembles  horn  and  can  be 
pressed  or  worked  into  any  form  whatever,  either  directly 
after  the  boiling  process  or  later,  after  the  hardened  hide  has 
been  made  soft  and  elastic  by  being  dipped  into  a  salt  or  alum 
bath.  By  means  of  polishing,  this  material  can  be  made  almost 
transparent,  and  it  can  be  given  different  degrees  of  hard- 
ness, so  that  a  substance  is  obtained  which  can  be  kneaded, 
embossed,  stamped,  pressed,  drawn  and  twisted  into  any 
desired  shape,  style  or  design. 

CHALK  PLATES. —  "Air-holes  and  shrinking  in  stereo- 
typing are  caused  from  the  irregular  distribution  of  heat  in  the 
casting-box  and  irregularity  of  cooling.  As  the  metal  shrinks 
in  cooling,  the  part  that  cools  first  is  solid,  and,  in  becoming 
so,  takes  up  the  metal  from  the  places  that  are  still  liquid, 
and  when  these  places  cool  they  are  more  or  less  porous,  as 
they  had  not-  the  metal  to  draw  from,  as  the  other  parts  are 
set.  On  this  theory,  I  made  a  casting-box  out  of  two  steel 
plates  a  quarter  of  an  inch  thick  and  put  my  chalk  plates 
between  them,  making,  as  it  were,  an  iron  box.  I  heated  both 
sides  of  the  box  alike  to  the  temperature  of  the  melted  metal 
exactly.  I  then  poured  in  the  casting  metal.  When  the  box 
was  full  and  stood  without  chilling,  I  took  a  sponge  soaked 
in  water  and  cooled  the  side  the  chalk  plate  was  on,  thus  caus- 
ing the  metal  to  shrink  to  the  plate  before  the  other  side  got 


140  STEREOTYPING. 

chilled.  It  is  almost  impossible  to  get  an  even  heat  in  one  of 
those  casting-boxes,  and  to  undertake  to  cool  one  side  off 
with  water  would  undoubtedly  cause  it  to  crack.  There  is 
air  and  gas  to  contend  with  in  stereotyping,  but  these  gases 
will  go  out  on  the  side  that  cools  last.  I  have  stereotyped 
plates  from  I  inch  to  12  by  16  inches  by  the  above  method, 
without  the  least  flaw,  and  the  printing  surfaces  have  that 
brightness  that  characterizes  the  type  of  the  best  foundries." 

CHALK-PLATE  INGREDIENTS.—  In  the  patent  issued 
to  Maurice  Joyce  in  1874,  the  inventor  states  that  he  uses  a 
mixture  of  ground  potter's  clay  and  plaster  of  paris,  nearly 
equal  parts,  moistened  with  water  to  the  consistency  of  mortar ; 
but  ground  soapstone,  chalk  or  other  material  may  be  used 
instead.  The  material  is  spread  on  the  metal  plate  and  scraped 
down  to  any  desired  thickness. 

CHALK  PLATES,  STEREOTYPING.— The  one  all- 
present  trouble  with  stereotypers  in  casting  chalk  plates  is  the 
lack  of  sufficient  amount  of  heat  in  the  casting-box,  chalk  plate 
and  stereotyping  metal.  Chalk-plate  work  is  very  different 
from  papier-mache  work,  from  the  fact  that  the  chalk  plate 
itself  will  chill  the  metal,  the  steel  being  a  good  conductor  of 
heat.  It  is  necessary  to  heat  the  metal  until  it  will  immediately 
scorch  a  piece  of  paper  thrust  into  it.  The  casting-box  must 
be  heated  beyond  the  point  of  melted  metal.  This  may  be 
tested  by  placing  a  piece  of  metal  on  the  box  and  heating  it 
until  it  melts.  When  in  the  right  condition,  metal  will  run 
from  the  casting-box  "  like  water  from  a  duck's  back."  Holes, 
sunken  portions  or  porous  spots  in  a  stereotype  are  generally 
caused  by  the  contraction  of  the  metal  in  cooling.  As  all 
cooling  metal  must  of  necessity  contract,  it  is  desirable  to  make 
the  contraction  occur  where  it  will  not  cause  any  trouble.  This 
is  done  by  making  the  cast  chill  from  the  lower  end  first,  and 
gradually  extending  to  the  upper  end.  This  is  accomplished 
either  by  placing  the  lower  end  of  the  box  upon  a  wet  rag  and 
filling  it  from  time  to  time  with  hot  metal  at  the  top,  or  simply 
by  filling  the  top  with  hot  metal.  This  latter  operation  is 
further  benefited  by  thrusting  a  stick  down  into  the  hardening 


STEREOTYPING.  141 

cast  and  immediately  filling  the  vacancy  thus  made  with  hot 
metal. 

CLAY  STEREOTYPING.— The  clay  process  is  seldom 
employed,  for  the  reason  that  it  is  too  slow  for  most  of  the 
purposes  for  which  stereotyping  is  applicable,  and  is  not  satis- 
factory as  a  substitute  for  electrotyping.  The  composition 
used  for  molds  consists  of  ground  potter's  clay,  powdered  soap- 
stone  and  plaster  of  pans,  thoroughly  mixed  with  water  to  a 
consistency  of  soft  putty.  The  mixture  is  spread  evenly  and 
smoothly  on  an  iron  plate,  which  is  clamped  securely  to  the 
head  of  an  electrotyper's  swinging-head  press.  The  first 
impression  in  the  clay  is  made  with  a  piece  of  cotton  between 
the  form  and  the  clay,  to  absorb  the  superfluous  moisture  and 
block  out  the  general  shape  of  the  form.  Two  or  three  subse- 
quent impressions  are  made  without  the  cloth,  each  a  little 
deeper  than  the  last,  by  which  time  the  composition  has  become 
nearly  set.  The  plate  is  then  removed  from  the  press  and  floated 
in  the  metal-pot  until  all  moisture  has  been  expelled.  A  bent 
steel  wire  is  then  laid  on  the  plate  surrounding  the  mold  on 
three  sides  and  another  iron  plate  laid  on  the  wire  to  form  a 
cover.  The  two  plates  separated  by  the  wire  with  the  mold 
between  them  are  clamped  together  and  metal  poured  in  the 
open  side.  To  prevent  shrinkage,  water  is  poured  on  the 
plates,  beginning  at  the  bottom  and  cooling  gradually  toward 
the  top.  The  process  demands  considerable  skill  in  the  oper- 
ator, particularly  in  molding,  as  the  impressions  must  be  made 
at  just  the  right  instant  to  insure  good  results. 

CLAY  STEREOTYPE  PROCESS.— A  writer  in  the 
British  Printer  describes  a  new  process  for  making  stereotype 
molds  from  "  flong,"  which  is  said  to  be  made  of  natural  clay 
chemically  treated.  It  is  said  also  to  be  an  improvement  on 
the  old  blot-and-tissue  method  —  more  expeditious,  cleanly, 
easily  done,  economical  and  effective  in  bringing  out  hair-lines 
sharply.  The  "  flong  "  is  sent  out  in  a  dry  state  by  the  inven- 
tors and  dampened  before  using.  The  mold  is  obtained  by 
pressure  on  an  ordinary  hand  press  or  other  machine  and  also 
by  beating  with  a  brush. 


142  STEREOTYPING. 

CLAY  VS.  PAPIER-MACHE  STEREOTYPING.—  Clay, 
which  is  employed  for  stereotype  molds,  is  a  combination  of 
soapstone,  kaolin  and  plaster  of  paris.  While  these  materials 
are  reduced  to  a  very  fine  powder,  yet  there  is  always  more 
or  less  fine  grit  remaining,  and  it  is  probable  that  the  wear 
on  the  type  from  this  cause  is  fully  equal  to  the  wear  caused 
by  beating  a  papier-mache  flong  into  the  type.  With  the  papier- 
mache  process,  however,  there  is  another  element  of  danger 
to  type  in  overheating,  particularly  when  the  forms  are  han- 
dled by  a  careless  workman.  The  form  should  not  be  locked 
tighter  than  necessary  to  "  lift,"  and  the  type  should  be  further 
protected  by  strips  of  soft  pine  wood  placed  between  the  type 
and  chase  at  one  side  and  one  end.  Then  if  the  type  becomes 
sufficiently  heated  to  cause  expansion,  the  wood  will  yield  to 
the  squeeze,  and,  when  the  form  is  cooled,  the  type  will  con- 
tract to  its  original  dimensions.  If  these  precautions  are 
observed,  the  papier-mache  process  of  stereotyping  will  be  no 
more  likely  to  injure  the  type  than  the  clay  process. 

COLD  PROCESS  STEREOTYPING.— There  arc  at 
least  four  methods  in  present  use:  First,  the  dry  process, 
elsewhere  described;  second,  the  Dalziel  process;  third,  the 
Kahrs  process,  and,  fourth,  the  Schreiner,  the  three  latter 
being  named  for  convenience  after  their  inventors.  The  Dal- 
ziel process  consists  in  spreading  evenly  on  a  sheet  of  matrix 
paper  to  the  depth  of  about  six  points  a  composition  the  nature 
of  which  is  not  made  public,  but  which  resembles  kaolin.  When 
this  composition  has  dried  or  set  to  the  consistency  of  putty, 
an  impression  is  taken  on  an  electrotype  molding  press.  The 
form  with  the  mold  attached  is  then  placed  on  a  warm  table 
and  allowed  to  become  quite  dry,  when  the  mold  is  carefully 
removed  and  cast  in  the  usual  manner.  This  process  is  not 
sold  outright,  but  licenses  are  sold  and  the  composition  sup- 
plied to  printers  or  others  who  desire  to  use  it.  The  Kahrs 
process  is  simpler  and  much  quicker.  By  this  method  a  com- 
position (also  secret)  is  applied  to  the  paper  with  a  brush, 
and,  when  partially  dry,  is  beaten  into  the  form  in  the  same 
manner  as  a  papier-mache  flong.  It  is  then  immediately 


STEREOTYPING.  143 

stripped  from  the  form  and  laid  on  a  steam  table  or  other  hot 
surface  to  dry.  It  is  cast  in  the  same  manner  as  a  papier- 
mache  mold.  The  results  obtained  are  quite  satisfactory  and 
the  outfit  is  inexpensive.  The  Schreiner  process  also  consists 
of  a  coated  paper,  but  the  paper  is  prepared  by  the  inventor 
and  needs  only  to  be  moistened  to  make  it  ready  for  use. 

CONCAVE  STEREOTYPES.— There  are  several  causes 
for  concaved  stereotypes.  If  the  concave  is  in  the  matrix,  it 
is  probably  caused  by  hard-drying  blankets  and  insufficient 
squeeze  on  the  steam  table  while  the  matrix  is  drying,  or,  if  a 
very  thin  matrix  is  used,  the  pressure  of  the  metal  in  casting 
will  sometimes  force  down  the  spaces  around  the  large  type, 
or  other  black  surface,  to  an  extent  sufficient  to  cause  the  cen- 
ter of  the  type  to  spring  up  slightly,  thus  forming  a  depression 
in  the  cast.  If  the  matrix  is  not  defective,  the  depression  in 
the  cast  is  caused  by  the  shrinkage  of  the  metal  away  from 
the  matrix  in  cooling.  This  may  be  due  to  one  or  more  of 
three  causes.  The  metal  may  be  too  hot,  or  it  may  contain 
too  much  tin,  or  the  casting-box  may  be  tilted  in  the  wrong 
direction,  i.  e.,  so  that  the  pressure  of  the  metal  is  against  the 
back  cover  of  the  box  instead  of  against  the  matrix.  The 
casting-box  should  never  be  in  a  perpendicular  position,  but 
should  lean  a  little  in  such  a  way  that  the  matrix  will  be  on 
the  under  side.  The  tendency  will  then  be  for  the  metal  to 
shrink  away  from  the  cover  rather  than  away  from  the  matrix. 
Concave  may  be  also  caused  by  using  different  kinds  of  paper 
for  the  matrix  and  for  the  back.  If  the  backing  paper  shrinks 
more  than  the  matrix,  it  will  draw  away  from  the  latter,  caus- 
ing distortion. 

COPPER- PLATING  CURVED  STEREOTYPES.— It 
would  be  advisable  to  use  a  curved  anode  for  this  purpose,  or 
else  several  small  anodes  suspended  in  such  a  manner  that  they 
will  be  equally  distant  from  all  parts  of  the  surface  of  the 
curved  plate.  If  a  flat  anode  were  employed,  the  deposit  of 
copper  would  be  thickest  at  the  center  of  the  plate,  which 
would  be  nearest  the  anode,  and  the  edges  of  the  plate,  which 
by  reason  of  the  curve  would  be  separated  a  long  distance  from 


144  STEREOTYPING. 

the  anode,  would  receive  a  very  thin  deposit.  Copper  is  so 
easily  and  rapidly  deposited  in  the  acid  copper  bath  (electro- 
typers'  solution)  that  a  current  of  very  low  tension  should  be 
employed,  otherwise  the  deposit  will  not  be  smooth.  A  ten- 
sion of  one  volt  would  be  amply  sufficient,  and  the  anodes 
should  be  separated  from  the  surface  of  the  plate  by  a  distance 
of  four  inches,  or  even  more,  if  there  is  any  tendency  to 
roughness  in  the  deposit.  Under  favorable  conditions,  a  suffi- 
ciently heavy  plating  will  be  obtained  in  from  twenty  minutes 
to  half  an  hour.  As  to  the  wearing  qualities  of  a  copper-faced 
stereotype,  the  Newton  Copper  Type  Company  claims  that 
the  durability  of  type  is  doubled  by  copper-facing,  and  its 
claim  seems  to  be  amply  supported  by  the  testimony  of  those 
who  have  used  its  product.  It  is  probable,  therefore,  that  the 
wearing  quality  of  a  stereotype  would  be  increased  to  a  similar 
extent  by  copper-facing. 

CORRODED  STEREOTYPE  PLATES.— The  American 
Encyclopedia  states  that,  in  a  moist  atmosphere,  lead  is  cov- 
ered with  a  thin  film  of  oxid,  which  combines  with  carbonic 
acid  gas  absorbed  from  the  air,  forming  with  it  a  film  of  silky 
scales  of  hydrated  oxycarbonate  of  lead.  More  lead  is  then 
oxidized,  dissolved  and  converted  into  carbonate,  and  so  the 
process  of  corrosion  goes  on.  The  carbonate  can  be  removed 
by  washing  the  plates  with  very  dilute  nitric  acid  and  immedi- 
ately rinsing  in  clean  water. 

COST  OF  STEREOTYPING.— The  question  is  a  broad 
one  and  is  analogous  to  the  question :  What  would  it  cost  to 
build  a  house?  In  order  to  estimate  on  the  latter  proposition, 
it  would  be  necessary  to  know  the  size  of  the  house,  the  kind 
of  material  of  which  it  is  to  be  constructed,  the  cost  of  labor 
and  material  in  the  locality  where  it  is  proposed  to  build,  and 
various  other  data.  To  estimate  intelligently  on  the  cost  of 
stereotyping,  it  is  also  necessary  that  all  the  conditions  shall 
be  known.  Some  kinds  of  stereotyping  cost  more  than  others. 
There  is  a  difference  in  the  grades  of  metal  used  for  different 
purposes,  and  a  very  decided  difference  in  the  cost  of  labor 
in  different  localities.  Moreover,  an  outfit  of  machinery  and 
appliances  may  cost  anywhere  from  $100  to  $3,000. 


STEREOTYPING.  145 

CURVED  STEREOTYPE  PLATE  FINISHING  MA- 
CHINE.—  A  machine  has  been  recently  patented  which  is 
designed  to  dispense  with  the  tail-cutting  machine,  shaving 
machine  and  finishing  block,  which  have  heretofore  been  nec- 
essary to  finish  a  stereotype  plate,  and  to  save  the  time  and 
labor  incident  to  transferring  the  plate  to  such  machines.  The 
machine  is  wholly  automatic.  A  principal  cylinder  is  provided 
for  the  mounting  of  the  plate,  and  on  this  the  curved  plate  is 
positioned  and  clamped,  when  the  cylinder  is  set  in  motion 
and  rotating  beveled  knives  completely  finish  the  top  and  bot- 
tom margins  of  the  plate  and  determine  its  length  by  means  of 
the  grooves  in  which  they  work.  The  cylinder  is  then  made  to 
take  a  new  motion,  advancing  lengthwise  without  rotating, 
and  thus  carrying  the  plate  against  cylindrical  cutters  which 
shave  the  side  margins.  When  the  side  trim  is  accomplished, 
a  rotary  carrier  revolves  the  plate  one-half  and  places  it  face 
downward  in  a  shaving  box,  where  it  is  reduced  to  the  proper 
thickness  by  the  shaving  of  its  inner  surface.  All  that  is 
required  of  the  operator  is  to  fix  the  plate  on  the  cylinder  and 
set  the  machine  in  operation  by  the  depression  of  a  foot  lever. 
At  the  end  of  the  trimming  and  shaving  operations  the  plate  is 
brought  back  to  its  first  position  on  the  cylinder  and  the 
machine  comes  to  rest,  when  the  operator  may  unclamp  the 
plate  and  set  another  in  its  place. 

DEFECTIVE  STEREOTYPING.—  Oven-dried  molds 
are  never  so  perfect  as  molds  dried  on  the  steam  table,  for 
the  reason  that  by  the  latter  process  the  mold  is  dried  under 
pressure,  in  contact  with  the  type,  and  is  thereby  prevented 
from  shrinking  or  blistering.  However,  fairly  good  results 
may  be  obtained  by  the  oven  process  when  the  pages  to  be 
stereotyped  contain  no  illustrations,  for,  by  observing  proper 
precautions,  the  shrinkage  may  be  minimized  to  a  point  where 
it  will  not  materially  affect  type-faces.  If  there  is  moisture 
left  in  the  matrix,  the  hot  metal  will  convert  it  into  steam, 
which  causes  the  face  of  the  matrix  to  puff  up  in  small  spots, 
thus  producing  corresponding  depressions  or  shrinks  in  the 
head-letter  or  other  flat  surfaces.  Molds  dried  separately  from 
the  type  should  be  dried  quickly  to  insure  the  best  results. 


146  STEREOTYPING. 

DROSS. —  "Dross"  is  the  compound  or  compounds 
formed  by  the  action  of  air  upon  molten  metals.  The  oxygen 
contained  in  the  atmosphere  attacks  most  of  the  metals  with 
which  we  are  acquainted.  The  tarnishing  of  most  metals 
when  exposed  to  the  air  is  well  known  by  all.  The  compound 
formed  in  this  way  is  an  oxide  of  the  metal.  The  formation 
of  this  oxide  takes  place  more  rapidly  and  in  larger  quantity 
the  higher  the  temperature  of  the  metal.  In  molten  metals, 
high  temperature  and  prolonged  contact  with  the  atmosphere 
lead  to  the  rapid  formation  of  "  dross  "  or  oxid,  which  is  the 
name  given  to  the  scum  which  collects  upon  the  surface  of 
the  metal.  This  oxidation  only  occurs  upon  the  surface  of 
the  molten  metal,  where  the  air  has  access,  and  not  in  the 
center  of  the  mass,  at  least  not  to  any  appreciable  extent.  It 
is  therefore  easy  to  skim  this  dross  from  the  metal  by  means 
of  an  iron  ladle,  and  it  can  then  be  reduced  to  metal.  The 
principle  of  its  reduction  to  the  metallic  state  is  this :  If  such 
dross  is  heated  in  contact  with  carbonaceous  material,  such  as 
rosin,  the  carbon  and  reducing  gases  formed  in  the  process 
take  away  the  oxygen  contained  in  the  dross,  liberating  the 
metal.  This  simple  process  is  typical  of  that  used  on  a  large 
scale  to  obtain  metals  from  their  combinations  with  oxygen. 

DRY  STEREOTYPING.— The  flong  is  a  thick,  spongy 
paper  which  packs  smoothly  under  pressure.  The  matrix  is 
made  by  laying  a  sheet  of  dry  paper  on  the  form,  covering  it 
with  a  thin  press  blanket  and  a  sheet  of  pressboard,  and  run- 
ning it  through  a  matrix-rolling  machine.  The  matrix  thus 
made  is  dusted  with  French  chalk  and  immediately  placed  in 
the  casting-box,  no  drying  being  necessary.  The  process  is 
employed  quite  extensively  in  Germany  and  to  a  less  extent  in 
England,  France  and  the  United  States.  The  essential  feature 
of  the  dry  stereotyping  paper  or  flong  is  its  porosity,  which  is 
produced  in  the  following  manner :  The  sheets  of  paper,  con- 
sisting of  vegetable  fiber,  are  impregnated  with  a  chemical  fluid, 
which,  being  brought  in  contact  with  another  liquid,  gives  rise 
to  the  development  of  gases.  As  these  gases  force  their  way 
from  the  interior  of  the  sheet  to  the  outside,  they  loosen  the 
fiber,  in  consequence  of  which  the  paper  becomes  porous  to  a 


STEREOTYPING.  .      147 

high  degree.  For  example,  the  plates  may  be  first  immersed 
in  sodium  carbonate  and  then  in  acid  —  for  instance,  vinegar  — 
thereby  developing  carbonic  acid  gas,  which  effects  the  loosen- 
ing of  the  plate.  In  this  manner  the  porosity  of  the  plate  is 
obtained.  The  fiber  is  treated  in  a  long  seine  machine  in  the 
same  manner  as  roofpaper,  care  being  taken  to  avoid  all  pres- 
sure on  the  material,  in  order  to  maintain  the  porosity.  Finally 
the  sheets  are  covered  on  one  side  with  a  thin  layer  of  starch 
paste,  to  which  about  five  per  cent  of  glycerin  has  been  added, 
to  prevent,  so  far  as  possible,  the  adhesion  of  the  metal  to  the 
fibrous  material  in  casting.  A  German  trade  journal  describes 
a  new  dry  flong  which,  it  is  claimed,  is  superior  to  others  in 
the  respect  that  it  possesses  elasticity,  pliability  and  firmness 
to  a  greater  extent  and  therefore  permits  a  deeper  impression, 
smoother  surface  and  will  stand  a  greater  number  of  casts. 
The  pliability  is  obtained  by  the  use  of  glycerin,  white  of  egg 
and  alcohol.  A  glue  made  from  plants  with  the  addition  of 
whites  of  eggs  is  used  to  secure  the  different  layers  of  paper 
together.  To  increase  the  strength  and  durability  of  the  flong, 
soft  gauze  is  soaked  in  gelatin  and  then  interleaved  with  the 
sheets  of  paper  of  which  the  flong  is  composed.  To  prevent 
the  flong  from  becoming  hard,  a  small  quantity  of  calcium 
chlorid  is  sprinkled  over  the  paste-covered  sheets.  The  cal- 
cium chlorid  absorbs  the  moisture  in  the  air  and  so  keeps  the 
flong  damp  and  elastic. 

DRYING  BLANKETS,  CARE  OF.— Drying  blankets 
should  be  washed  frequently.  It  is  a  good  plan  to  let  them 
soak  over  night  and  then  boil  them.  Do  not  use  an  all-wool 
blanket ;  a  cotton  warp  will  last  longer. 

DRYING  STEREOTYPE  MOLDS  BY  HOT  AIR  VS. 
STEAM. —  Hot  air  will  not  injure  type  any  more  than  steam 
heat,  provided  it  is  no  hotter  than  steam.  The  chief  advantage 
of  the  steam  table  lies  in  the  fact  that  the  heat  is  limited  to  a 
safe  temperature,  whereas  with  gas  or  coal  as  a  heating  agent 
there  is  great  danger  of  overheating,  because  of  the  difficulty 
of  controlling  the  heat  within  safe  limits,  and  the  further  fact 
that  it  is  impossible  to  determine  the  degree  of  heat  to  which 


148      .  STEREOTYPING. 

the  type  is  being  subjected.  The  steam  table  is,  therefore,  by 
far  the  safer  method  of  drying  molds.  A  sixteen-inch  steam 
generator  will  supply  all  the  steam  necessary  to  heat  one  steam 
table.  Whatever  method  is  employed  for  drying,  great  care 
should  be  observed  in  locking  up  the  forms,  for  even  with  the 
steam-table  process  there  is  danger  of  injuring  the  type  unless 
provision  is  made  for  expansion. 

DURABILITY  OF  STEREOTYPES.— The  amount  of 
wear  which  a  stereotype  plate  will  stand  depends  largely  upon 
the  quality  of  metal  employed.  In  newspaper  work  it  is  not 
unusual  to  run  fifty  thousand  impressions  from  one  plate. 

FLONG,  A  NEW  STEREO.— The  German  AUgemeiner 
Anzeiger  describes  a  new  method  of  producing  stereo  flong, 
which  will  allow  of  dry  stereotyping,  meaning  that  the  flong 
may  be  used  in  the  condition  in  which  the  flong  is  sold,  with- 
out damping  or  other  treatment.  There  are,  of  course,  other 
dry  flongs  on  the  market,  but  they  are  nearly  all  deficient  in 
one  or  two  points;  either  they  will  not  allow  of  a  perfectly 
flat  or  even  impression,  so  as  to  give  the  resulting  plate  a 
smooth  surface,  or  they  will  not  allow  of  "  beating "  to  the 
sufficient  depth  to  allow  of  the  plates  being  deep  enough  where 
there  is  no  type  to  take  impression.  In  order  to  do  this  prop- 
erly, a  flong  must  possess  great  elasticity,  or  perhaps  pliability 
would  be  a  better  term.  It  must  also  be  firm  enough  in  texture 
to  resist  the  pouring  of  the  hot  metal  over  it  once  or  many 
times.  The  pliability  of  this  new  flong  is  insured  by  the  addi- 
tion to  it  of  a  suitable  chemical,  such  as  glycerin,  white  of  egg 
and  alcohol.  In  order  to  give  the  flong  the  necessary  strength 
and  durability  to  resist  the  beating  and  pressure,  a  certain 
piece  of  soft,  absorbent,  gauzy  material  is  soaked  in  gelatin 
and  then  calendered.  A  special  glue  made  from  plants,  with 
the  addition  of  white  of  egg,  etc.,  is  used  to  fasten  the  different 
layers  of  paper  together.  When  making  flong  for  rotary 
machine  plates,  the  addition  of  a  little  glycerin  to  the  paste 
will  give  the  molds  the  necessary  elasticity  to  allow  them  to  be 
bent  into  shape.  In  order  to  keep  the  flong  from  becoming 
hard,  a  very  small  quantity  of  calcium  chlorid  is  sprinkled  over 


STEREOTYPING.  149 

the  paste-covered  sheets.  The  calcium  chlorid  is  hygroscopic 
and  will  absorb  any  moisture  there  may  be  in  the  air,  and  so 
keep  the  flong  always  damp  and  elastic. 

FLONG  PASTING  MACHINE.— Improvements  in  ste- 
reotyping processes  have  been  heretofore  restricted  for  the 
most  part  to  machinery  employed  in  finishing  the  plates.  So 
far  as  stereotyping  proper  is  concerned,  there  has  been  little 
change  in  the  methods  which  obtained  thirty  years  ago.  The 
flong  is  constructed  now,  as  then,  by  pasting  and  superimpos- 
ing by  hand  several  sheets  of  suitable  paper,  and  the  matrix  is 
formed  by  heating  or  rolling  the  flong  into  the  type-form  and 
drying  it  under  pressure.  Various  machines  have  been  devised 
to  facilitate  the  operations  of  sawing,  trimming,  routing  and 
beveling  the  plates,  but  no  effort  has  been  made  to  substitute 
machinery  for  handwork  in  the  construction  of  flongs.  Per- 
haps this  is  due  to  the  fact  that  in  newspaper  offices  this  is  the 
one  detail  of  stereotyping  in  which  saving  of  time  would  be 
of  no  special  advantage,  for  the  flongs  are  here  prepared  before 
the  rush  begins,  when  time  and  men  are  at  a  discount.  But 
stereotyping  is  a  growing  industry  and  its  field  of  usefulness 
has  extended  beyond  the  daily  newspaper  office.  To  such  an 
extent  has  the  business  grown  that  in  some  establishments  the 
time  of  three  or  four  men  is  constantly  employed  in  making 
flongs.  To  minimize  this  item  of  cost,  the  superintendent  of 
a  Chicago  concern  has  recently  invented  a  machine  which  takes 
the  stereotype  paper  from  rolls,  pastes  together  the  different 
sheets,  rolls  them  smooth,  and  delivers  the  completed  flong 
at  the  rate  of  six  hundred  feet  per  hour,  which  is  equivalent 
to  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  flongs  of  the  size  of  an  average 
newspaper  page.  The  machine  consists  of  a  number  of  brass 
rolls  geared  together  and  so  arranged  and  adjusted  that  the 
distribution  of  paste  may  be  absolutely  uniform.  Each  set  of 
rolls  is  connected  with  a  small  fountain,  which  is  automatically 
supplied  with  paste  from  a  large  reservoir/  After  leaving  the 
rolls,  the  flong  runs  on  to  a  carrier  which  conveys  it  to  a  con- 
veniently located  table,  where  it  is  cut  into  desired  lengths. 
It  is  found  that  the  machine-made  flongs  are  in  no  sense 
inferior  to  hand-made,  while  the  cost  of  manufacturing  is 


150  STEREOTYPING. 

reduced  more  than  fifty  per  cent.     The  inventor  has  made 
application  for  a  patent  on  the  machine. 

FLOORS  FOR  STEREOTYPE  FOUNDRIES.— Floors 
should  be  wood,  covered,  if  possible,  with  heavy  sheet  iron. 
Cement  or  brick  floors  are  very  objectionable,  because  more 
or  less  grit  is  swept  up  with  the  metal  chips  and  finds  it  way 
into  the  metal-pot  and,  later,  into  the  casts,  where  it  dulls  the 
saws  and  trimmer's  tools  used  to  finish  the  plates. 

FRENCH  CHALK.— While  not  absolutely  necessary,  the 
use  of  French  chalk  on  the  face  of  the  matrix  is  of  great  value 
when  a  number  of  coats  are  wanted,  its  greasy  nature  facili- 
tating the  removal  of  the  mold  from  the  cast.  The  metal  may 
be  run  a  little  cooler  when  French  chalk  is  used  than  when 
it  is  not. 

"FUDGE,"  THE.— This  is  an  attachment  to  the  rotary 
press,  having  its  own  ink  fountain,  rollers,  etc.,  whereby  single 
or  double  column  latest  news  notes  are  printed  in  from  Lino- 
type lines  and  type  direct.  Fitted  to  a  shaft  are  six  two- 
column  miniature  "turtles."  These  are  detachable  and  sent 
to  the  composing-room  to  be  equipped.  The  modus  operandi 
is  perhaps  best  explained  in  detailing  a  scene  in  a  composing- 
room  while  a  league  game  is  being  played.  At  the  end  of 
the  seventh  inning  the  regular  form  is  closed  up,  the  major 
portion  of  a  column  left  blank  and  the  form  sent  to  the  stereo- 
type-room to  be  molded  and  cast  up  as  usual  and  placed  on 
the  press.  If  the  make-up  has  been  alert,  the  stereotyper  will 
have  plenty  of  time,  for  there  are  still  two  innings  to  hear 
from.  As  fast  as  the  news  from  the  ball  field  is  ticked  off 
and  given  to  the  machine  operator,  the  lines  are  assembled  by 
the  make-up  into  the  slightly  curved,  turtle-like  "  fudges," 
wedge-shaped  brass  leads  being  placed  between  each  line. 
When  the  "  fudge  "  is  full,  a  few  turns  of  the  lineholder-like 
side-lock  clamp  secures  the  contents,  and  it  is  sent  to  the 
pressroom  and  placed  in  position  on  the  "  fudge "  shaft  as 
any  plate  would  be  on  a  cylinder.  But  while  the  diameter  of 
a  plate  cylinder  is  usually  fifteen  inches,  that  of  the  "fudge" 
shaft  is  about  six  inches.  In  this  manner  the  desired  number 


STEREOTYPING.  151 

of  "  fudges  "  is  completed,  containing  a  complete  account  of 
the  last  two  innings,  with  summary,  tables,  etc.,  the  "  fudge  " 
contents  printing  in  the  blank  portion  purposely  left  for  it  in 
the  form  and  plate.  It  is  not  an  unusual  thing  to  have  papers 
on  the  street  three  minutes  after  the  umpire  has  declared  the 
last  "  out,"  with  the  stereotyper  looking  on  complacently,  for, 
while  he  has  not  been  shorn  of  any  of  his  work,  he  has  been 
spared  the  heart-breaking  finish  known  only  too  well  to  all 
newspaper  workers. 

HALF-TONES  IN  CURVED  STEREOTYPE  PLATES. 
—  Various  schemes  have  been  suggested  for  casting  or  other- 
wise securing  electrotypes  or  half-tones  in  the  curved  stereo- 
type plates  from  which  daily  newspapers  are  printed.  Perhaps 
the  method  most  often  employed  is  to  remove  the  engraving 
from  its  base,  after  the  matrix  has  been  made,  and  curve  it 
to  a  perfect  segment.  After  the  mold  has  been  adjusted  in 
the  casting-box,  the  curved  engraving  is  fitted  in  its  place  in 
the  matrix.  When  the  stereotype  metal  is  poured  into  the 
casting-box,  it  surrounds  and  overflows  the  electrotype, 
securely  embedding  it  in  the.  cast.  Another  method  consists 
in  removing  the  engraving  from  its  block  before  molding  and 
filling  in  the  depression  in  the  back  of  the  matrix  caused  by 
the  absence  of  the  engraving,  with  packing  of  exactly  the  same 
thickness  as  the  electrotype.  After  the  cast  has  been  made, 
the  electrotype  may  be  curved  and  then  tacked  or  soldered 
into  the  depression.  Another  method  is  to  remove  the  half- 
tone from  its  base  after  the  matrix  has  been  made,  and  curve 
it,  either  by  passing  it  through  a  curving  machine  or  by  plac- 
ing it  in  the  casting-box  and  closing  the  cover  down  upon  it. 
After  the  matrix  has  been  adjusted  in  the  casting-box,  the 
curved  half-tone  is  fitted  in  its  place  in  the  matrix  and  a  piece 
of  corrugated  tin  or  some  strips  of  wood  of  proper  thickness 
are  laid  on  the  back  so  that  when  the  cover  is  closed  down 
the  engraving  will  be  held  securely  in  its  place.  When  the 
metal  is  poured  into  the  casting-box,  it  surrounds  and  imbeds 
the  engraving  in  the  plate. 

HALF-TONES,  STEREOTYPING.—  Half-tones  should 
be  mounted  exactly  type-high;  if  made  higher  they  will  pre- 


152  STEREOTYPING. 

sent  a  smutty  appearance  in  the  paper.  The  writer  prefers  the 
special  half-tone  paper.  This  paper  is  soft  and  has  a  very 
short  fiber.  A  good  paste  for  half-tone  work  may  be  made 
as  follows :  2^2  pounds  starch,  y2  pound  flour,  6  ounces  dex- 
trin, 2.y2  gallons  water;  cook  in  the  usual  manner.  It  is 
impossible  to  make  a  half-tone  so  deep  that  it  will  not  fill  up 
with  the  fuzz  of  cheap  print  paper  combined  with  muddy  ink. 
To  work  half-tones  successfully  requires  care  all  along  the 
line,  not  only  in  making  the  originals  and  the  duplicates  but 
in  presswork  and  in  the  selection  of  paper  and  ink.  B.  &  O. 
Myers,  of  New  York,  make  a  special  grade  of  matrix  paper 
for  stereotyping  half-tones,  which  is  preferable  to  the  usual 
quality,  as  it  is  a  soft,  short  fiber  which  takes  the  shadings 
better  than  a  harder  paper.  Half-tones  do  not  require  oiling; 
the  matrix  will  stick  to  them  better  if  the  oiling  is  dispensed 
with.  That  is  to  say,  the  matrix  will  be  less  likely  to  puff  up 
and  double. 

HARDENING  AND  TEMPERING  STEEL.— Heat  the 
steel  to  a  bright  cherry  red  and  plunge  it  in  water  that  has 
been  thoroughly  boiled  and  then  allowed  to  cool.  It  will  then 
be  "  as  hard  as  fire  and  water  will  make  it,"  and  too  hard  for 
anything  except  hardened  bearings  or  tools  for  cutting  and 
drilling  glass  and  very  hard  metals.  To  make  it  stand  work 
without  breaking  it  must  be  tempered.  To  do  this,  polish  the 
surface  on  a  grindstone  or  with  emery  paper,  so  that  any 
change  in  the  color  of  the  metal  may  be  easily  seen.  Then 
heat  the  tool  until  the  cutting  edge  shows  the  proper  color. 
Large  drills  and  cold  chisels  are  hardened  and  tempered  at 
one  operation,  the  cutting  edge  being  cooled  and  hardened 
while  the  upper  part  is  left  out.  When  taken  from  the  water 
the  heat  from  the  shank  passes  toward  the  cutting  edge  and 
brings  it  to  the  right  degree  of  softness.  Small  drills  have  to 
be  tempered  in  the  flame  of  a  lamp.  A  spirit  lamp  is  best, 
and  the  neatest  plan  is  to  heat  the  drill  a  short  distance  from 
the  point  and  allow  the  heat  to  flow  toward  the  cutting  edge. 
As  soon  as  the  right  color  is  seen  on  the  edge,  the  entire  tool 
is  plunged  in  water  and  cooled.  In  this  way  the  shank  is  kept 
soft  and  the  tool  is  not  so  apt  to  snap  off. 


STEREOTYPING.  153 

HONEYCOMBED  PLATES.— Honeycombed  plates  are 
caused  by  using  metal  too  hard,  or  pouring  the  metal  into  a 
cold  casting-box.  If  the  metal  is  too  hard,  add  a  little  lead. 
If  a  flat  casting-box  is  used,  paste  a  sheet  of  paper  on  the 
cover.  Paper  is  a  non-conductor  and  wifl  prevent  the  metal 
from  chilling,  which  is  the  cause  of  blow-holes. 

IMPRESSION,  DEPTH  OF.— As  the  paper  flong  is 
beaten  into  the  form,  it  becomes  thin  and  the  type  shows  dark 
through  it.  This  color  is  also  a  guide  to  determine  the  even- 
ness of  the  impression,  for  if  the  matrix  is  dark  in  one  spot 
and  light  in  another,  it  is  evident  that  it  is  of  uneven  depth. 

MATRIX  PAPER,  BEST  WEIGHT.— To  secure  the  best 
results  with  the  least  labor  and  expense,  the  matrix  paper 
proper  should  weigh  about  forty  pounds  to  the  ream,  size 
20  by  24.  A  lighter  paper  would  be  found  difficult  to  make 
up  without  tearing,  and  if  much  heavier  it  would  require 
unnecessary  labor  to  beat  it  into  the  form.  The  best  weight 
for  the  second  or  backing  sheet  depends  upon  the  material 
used  for  filling  in  the  spaces  or  depressions  in  the  back  of  the 
matrix.  When  "  backing  powder  "•  is  employed  for  this  pur- 
pose, any  common,  medium-weight  paper  will  answer  for  the 
back,  for  it  does  not  require  to  be  beaten  into  the  form  and 
can,  therefore,  be  less  tough  and  elastic  than  the  first  sheet. 
If,  however,  no  backing  powder  or  other  filling  material  is  used 
for  packing  the  spaces,  the  backing  paper  should  be  about 
twice  the  weight  of  the  first  sheet,  and  should  also  be  of  fair 
quality. 

MATRICES,  PATTERN.— Some  advertisers  send  out 
stereotype  matrices  of  their  announcements  to  publishers  own- 
ing stereotyping  outfits.  This  is  an  economical  method  of  dis- 
tribution and  in  some  cases  answers  the  purpose  satisfactorily, 
provided  the  right  kind  of  matrices  are  supplied.  There  are 
certain  objections  to  the  plan,  however.  In  the  first  place,  the 
use  of  matrices  involves  an  extra  remove  from  the  original. 
When  an  electrotype  is  sent  to  a  publisher  whose  forms  are 
stereotyped,  the  printing  is  done,  not  from  an  electrotype,  but 
from  a  stereotype  of  the  electrotype.  When  a  matrix  is  sent, 


154  STEREOTYPING. 

a  stereotype  is  made  from  the  matrix.  This  stereotype  is  then 
locked  up  in  the  form  and  again  stereotyped  for  the  press. 
Usually  the  first  matrix  is  made  from  an  electrotype  pattern  of 
the  type,  so  that  the  actual  printing-plate  is  four  removes  from 
the  original  type  —  first,  the  type ;  second,  the  electrotype  pat- 
tern; third,  the  stereotype,  and,  fourth,  the  actual  printing- 
plate.  When  the  ad.  is  open,  the  type  large,  the  matrix  deep 
and  sharp  and  the  stereotyper  painstaking,  very  little  is  lost 
in  the  reproductions,  and  the  print  is  generally  satisfactory. 
But,  on  the  other  hand,  if  the  ad.  is  set  in  small,  solid  type, 
or  if  it  contains  half-tones  of  fine  engravings,  the  result  is  apt 
to  be  disappointing  and  is  certain  to  be  so  unless  the  matrices 
are  hand-made  and  very  deep  and  sharp.  Machine  matrices 
are  unsuitable  for  such  work,  as  they  can  not  be  made  deep 
enough  to  insure  a  sharp  stereotype  pattern  for  the  newspaper. 
An  instance  recently  came  to  the  writer's  notice  where  an 
advertiser  had  a  series  of  large  display  ads.,  containing  etch- 
ings, set  in  a  newspaper  office  with  the  object  of  saving  the. 
cost  of  electrotypes.  The  publisher  was  instructed  to  supply 
several  other  papers  with  matrices  of  the  ads.  The  matrices 
were  made  by  machine  and  were  so  shallow  that  the  print  in 
the  papers  using  them  was  scarcely  legible.  The  result  was 
that  the  advertising  was  discontinued  until  ads.  could  be  reset 
and  electrotyped.  In  this  case  the  ads.  were  of  such  a  charac- 
ter that  matrices  might  have  been  used  to  good  advantage  if 
they  had  been  made  with  a  brush,  instead  of  by  machine. 
Very  often  the  country  stereotyper  is  blamed  for  poor  results 
when  the  trouble  lies  with  the  quality  of  the  matrices  supplied 
by  the  advertiser. 

MATRIX  WRINKLING  UNDER  THE  ROLLER.— The 

machine  is  so  constructed  that  the  travel  of  the  surface  of  the 
roller  is  the  same  speed  as  the  bed.  Adding  the  blanket  to 
the  roller  increases  its  circumference  and  causes  the  blanket 
to  crawl  and  with  it  the  matrix.  To  overcome  this  fault,  some 
stereotypers  use  a  double  thickness  of  blanket,  as  it  is  found 
that  the  upper  blanket  only  will  crawl,  the  lower  one  remain- 
ing stationary.  Usually  the  wrinkling  occurs  when  the  chase 
is  a  little  higher  than  the  type,  the  matrix  seeming  to  crawl 


STEREOTYPING.  155 

on  the  chase  while  held  by  the  type.  When  the  chase  is  a 
little  lower  than  the  type  the  trouble  does  not  often  occur. 

METAL. —  Stereotype  metal  is  composed  of  lead,  tin  and 
antimony.  The  cheapest  grade,  however,  contains  little  or  no 
tin.  For  newspaper  work,  the  proportions  are  about  as  follows : 
Lead,  75  per  cent;  tin,  8  per  cent;  antimony,  17  per  cent.  For 
bookwork:  Lead,  80  per  cent;  antimony,  15  per  cent;  tin, 
5  per  cent.  A  still  cheaper  grade  contains  about  85  per  cent 
lead  and  15  per  cent  antimony.  In  mixing  these  metals,  the 
antimony  should  be  melted  first.  The  lead  should  then  be 
added,  and,  lastly,  the  tin.  Stereotype  metal  fuses  at  about 
630°  F. 

METAL,  BRITTLE.— Mix  pure  lead  with  old  stereotype 
metal  until  a  strip  of  it  poured  out  on  an  iron  plate  and  cooled 
will  bend  considerably  without  breaking  and  the  grain  becomes 
fine  and  smooth.  Do  not  mix  electrotype  metal,  which  con- 
tains too  much  tin  and  causes  shrinks  in  cooling. 

METAL,  CLEANING.— Purifying  metal  is  accomplished 
by  immersing  in  the  molten  metal,  in  a  suitable  melting  pot 
set  over  a  furnace  and  provided  with  a  hood  or  other  means 
to  carry  away  the  smoke,  a  piece  of  green  wood  about  four 
inches  in  diameter  and  seven  or  eight  inches  long.  The  green 
wood  is  attached  to  an  iron  rod  in  any  suitable  way.  The 
metal  must  first  be  thoroughly  melted,  but  must  not  be  over- 
heated. The  green  wood  is  then  plunged  into  the  molten 
metal,  the  door  of  the  hood  closed  as  much  as  possible,  and 
the  green  wood  allowed  to  remain  in  the  metal  about  twenty 
minutes,  or  until  the  boiling  ceases.  This  green  wood  is  used 
to  purify  the  molten  metal.  Great  quantities  of  gas  and  vapor 
are  evolved  from  green  wood,  the  metal  boils  up  violently,  and 
the  oxids  contained  in  the  interior  of  the  molten  metal  are 
effectually  reduced.  After  this  operation,  what  remains  of 
the  green  wood  is  removed  and  the  metal  is  then  thoroughly 
stirred  and  skimmed  with  an  iron  ladle.  It  is  recommended 
to  add  a  few  ounces  of  resin  to  the  molten  metal  before  boiling 
out  with  green  wood.  This  reduces  the  dross  on  the  surface 
of  the  metal.  Another  method  is  as  follows :  Heat  the  metal 
to  a  temperature  sufficient  to  brown  without  burning  a  piece 


156  STEREOTYPING. 

of  thick  white  paper.  Throw  a  little  powdered  rosin  into  the 
pot  and  stir  constantly.  A  small  piece  of  potato  placed  under 
the  skimmer  and  held  below  the  surface  of  the  metal  will 
cause  the  impurities  to  rise  to  the  top,  when  they  may  be 
removed  to  the  dross  box. 

METAL,  "  DOCTORING."—  Stereotype  metal  sometimes 
separates;  that  is  to  say,  the  different  ingredients  become 
separated  —  not  properly  mixed.  This  condition  is  indicated 
by  an  extremely  granular  texture,  and  the  remedy  is  remixing, 
which  should  be  done  by  a  practical  man. 

METAL,  LINOTYPE.— Regarding  the  use  of  stereotype 
metal  on  Linotype  machines,  it  is  not  to  be'  recommended. 
Stereotype  metal  of  the  grade  employed  by  the  daily  news- 
papers is  too  hard,  and  clogs  the  machines.  The  cheaper 
grades  of  stereo  are  sometimes  used  for  Linotype,  but  are 
often  the  cause  of  annoyance.  Linotype  metal  should  be  made 
of  refined  materials  in  exactly  the  right  proportions  to  insure 
the  best  results. 

METALS,  MIXING.—  It  would  not  be  safe  to  add  old 
plate  metal  to  newspaper  metal.  The  platemakers  buy  only 
the  cheapest  grades  of  metal,  which,  while  good  enough  for 
the  purpose,  would  soon  wear  out  if  melted  over  and  over 
every  day. 

METAL,  "  ROTTEN."—  Add  pure  lead,  a  little  at  a  time, 
until  a  strip  when  cool  will  bend  to  about  a  quarter  circle 
before  breaking.  If  plates  are  flat,  without  grooves  in  the 
back,  paste  a  sheet  of  manila  paper  on  the  cover  of  casting- 
box,  or  lay  a  sheet  over  the  gages  after  the  matrix  has  been 
placed  in  the  box,  so  that  the  metal  will  be  poured  between 
the  matrix  and  the  paper  back.  The  paper  is  a  non-conductor 
and  prevents  the  metal  from  chilling  too  rapidly.  If  casting- 
box  cover  is  grooved,  paint  it  with  a  mixture  of  lampblack 
and  tobacco  in  water.  The  mixture  should  be  boiled  for  some 
time. 

METAL,  SUBSTITUTE  FOR  STEREOTYPE.— A  com- 
position for  stereotyping  has  been  recently  invented  for  which 
superior  merit  is  claimed.  The  material  is  called  "  flintine." 


STEREOTYPING.  157 

It  is  apparently  of  the  nature  of  celluloid,  but  the  inventor 
claims  it  can  be  restereotyped  without  injury.  The  cost  of 
the  material  is  only  about  one-third  that  of  celluloid. 

METAL,  TEMPERATURE  OR— If  the  matrix  is  dry 
and  the  casting-box  hot,  the  metal  may  be  poured  quite  cool; 
that  is,  at  a  temperature  just  above  the  melting  point.  At  this 
temperature  better  results  will  be  obtained  and  less  shrinkage 
observed  than  when  the  metal  is  too  hot.  A  temperature  any- 
where between  280°  to  295°  C,  or  536°  to  563°  F.,  has  been 
shown  to  give  excellent  results.  In  order  to  determine  the 
temperature,  a  thermometer  is  used  which  can  be  read  up  to 
about  600°,  the  bulb  being  plunged  into  the  molten  metal  and 
readings  taken  when  the  mercury-level  remains  constant. 
Before  plunging  the  thermometer  into  the  metal  it  should  be 
held  about  an  inch  above  the  hot  metal,  so  as  to  gradually  heat 
it.  It  is  held  in  this  position  for  a  few  moments,  and,  when 
it  is  found  that  the  bulb  is  hot  enough,  the  thermometer  is 
immersed  in  the  molten  metal.  Where  no  thermometers  are 
at  hand,  the  proper  temperature  of  casting  may  be  regulated 
approximately  as  follows :  Plunge  a  piece  of  matrix  or  manila 
paper  into  the  molten  metal.  If  it  turns  brown,  the  metal  will 
be  in  the  right  condition  to  cast  from.  A  slight  color  imparted 
to  the  paper  shows  that  the  temperature  of  the  metal  is  too 
low,  while  a  very  deep  brown  or  black  color  shows  the  same 
to  be  too  high. 

MOLDING  BY  PRESSURE.— Many  attempts  have  been 
made  to  produce  stereotype  molds  by  direct  pressure,  as,  for 
instance,  by  means  of  a  hydraulic  or  toggle  press,  in  the  same 
manner  that  stereotype  molds  in  clay  are  made,  but,  so  far  as 
the  writer  has  knowledge,  such  attempts  have  always  resulted 
in  failure,  owing  to  the  nature  of  the  material  employed.  To 
produce  a  mold  successfully  by  such  means,  the  material  must 
be  plastic,  like  clay,  wax  or  ozokerite. 

NEGATIVE  STEREOTYPES.- Some  fine  specimens  of 
negative  stereotypes  have  recently  been  produced  by  Mr.  A. 
Kerefting,  Ruhrart-am-Main,  Germany.  In  his  description  of 
the  process  he  calls  attention  to  the  fact  that  not  every  sort  of 


158  STEREOTYPING. 

type  or  ornament  is  suitable  for  the  purpose.  Type  with  nar- 
row faces  should  be  avoided,  as  they  do  not  give  a  fine  negative 
effect.  In  the  manufacture  of  negative  stereotypes,  the  fol* 
lowing  materials  are  required:  (i)  ink,  (2)  cardboard,  (3) 
negative  powder,  (4)  alcohol.  Pure  job  ink  should  be  used, 
such  as  is  to  be  found  in  every  printing-office.  The  cardboard 
must  be  of  a  kind  which,  when  moistened  on  one  side  with 
spirit,  immediately  sucks  it  up  and  shows  through  on  the  other 
side.  The  cardboard  is  the  soul  of  the  matrix  and  in  ninety- 
nine  cases  out  of  a  hundred  is  to  be  blamed  for  failure  to 
obtain  satisfactory  plates.  Postal  cardboard  is  best  for  this 
purpose,  but  a  sample  should  always  be  tested  with  the  spirit 
before  purchasing.  Further,  the  cardboard  must  be  perfectly 
smooth,  for  every  rough  spot  will  show  in  the  casting  of  the 
plate.  It  would  be  advisable  to  try  different  kinds  of  card- 
board until  the  one  best  suited  for  the  purpose  is  found.  The 
negative  powder  consists  of  finely  sifted  dextrin,  one  per  cent 
naphthalin  and  two  per  cent  manganese.  Any  one  can  make 
the  powder  for  his  own  use.  The  powder  must  be  protected 
from  moisture.  Use  the  common  alcohol.  It  is  recommended 
that  one  per  cent  spirit  varnish  be  added  to  it.  For  making  a 
negative  plate  an  impression  must  first  be  taken  on  the  card- 
board of  the  type-form  selected  for  the  purpose.  Fat  and 
large  type  and  block  ornaments  require  considerable  ink;  on 
smaller  and  leaner  type  a  less  quantity  will  suffice.  The  fresh 
impression  is  then  powdered  with  the  negative  powder  and 
the  superfluous  powder  removed  by  knocking  on  the  back  of 
the  cardboard.  It  is  well  also  to  blow  vigorously  on  the  card 
to  remove  any  powder  which  may  be  left.  Now  pour  some 
of  the  spirit  on  a  plate  and  place  the  card  on  it,  back  down. 
The  spirit  at  once  saturates  the  cardboard  and  colors  all  the 
powdered  parts  black.  The  wet  matrix  is  then  hardened  by 
pressing  the  back  of  the  card  on  a  hot  plate.  The  powdered 
parts  will  then  swell  up  and  become  plastic  and  hard.  When 
the  powder  takes  the  shining  gray  color  of  enamel  the  right 
degree  of  hardening  has  been  reached  and  the  matrix  is  ready 
for  casting.  Too  much  heating  will  destroy  the  adhesive  power 
of  the  powder.  In  casting,  care  must  be  observed  not  to  use 


STEREOTYPING.  159 

the  metal  too  hot,  which  would  result  in  melting  the  powder 
and  spoiling  the  matrix. 

NEW  STEREOTYPING  PROCESS.— A  circular  from 
the  Skandinavisk  Exprestypi  Company,  Copenhagen,  Den- 
mark, announces  the  production  of  a  perfected  process  for 
making  cuts  from  all  descriptions  of  types  or  plates.  The 
work,  it  is  said,  can  be  done  in  a  few  minutes  by  the  printer 
without  recourse  to  the  stereotyper  or  eleCtrotyper.  A  plastic 
mass  is  prepared,  the  basis  of  which  it  would  appear  is  cellu- 
loid, and  from  this,  it  is  said,  the  first  cut  can  be  made  in 
about  fifteen  minutes,  and  each  succeeding  cut  in  five  minutes. 
The  material  of  which  the  cuts  are  made  being  a  chemical 
substance,  no  planing  or  drilling  is  necessary,  the  edges  only 
being  required  to  be  cut,  and  they  can  be  then  fixed  directly 
on  the  block  by  an  adhesive  substance,  which  is  a  part  of  the 
process.  In  fact,  everything  that  would  seem  to  be  desirable 
in  a  cut  is  effected  by  this  process,  so  it  is  said.  The  machine 
for  the  proceeding  occupies  only  a  small  space  and  demands 
no  auxiliary  apparatus  of  any  kind.  Specimens  of  the  work 
from  half-tone  plates  look  very  well  and  testimonials  are 
offered  from  prominent  printing  firms  in  Denmark. 

NICKELLO  PROCESS  OF  STEREOTYPING.— A  new 
process  of  stereotyping  called  "  Nickello  "  is  said  to  be  superior 
to  all  other  methods  in  present  use.  The  essential  feature  of 
the  new  process  consists  in  a  pasty  composition  which  is 
applied  to  the  surface  of  the  paper  and  which,  when  partially 
set,  is  pressed  directly  on  to  the  face  of  the  form.  This  com- 
position differs  from  other  composition  in  the  respect  that 
while  it  becomes  hard  and  smooth  as  porcelain,  yet  it  main- 
tains the  flexibility  of  the  ordinary  papier-mache  matrix,  and 
may  be  curved  to  cast  plates  for  rotary  presses.  The  material 
is  analogous  to  wax,  but  practically  any  number  of  casts  may 
be  taken  from  the  same  matrix  if  reasonable  care  is  exercised 
in  handling.  The  plates  produced  by  this  method  are  said  to 
be  quite  as  good  as  electrotypes.  The  flong  may  be  beaten 
in  with  a  brush,  but  the  rolling  machine  is  recommended  as 
being  more  rapid  and  giving  more  perfect  results.  The  matrix 


160  STEREOTYPING. 

may  be  dried  on  the  steam  table  in  the  usual  manner,  or  by 
the  use  of  a  special  apparatus  it  may  be  dried  from  the  top, 
thus  eliminating  all  danger  of  injury  to  type  or  cuts.  The 
casting  is  performed  in  exactly  similar  manner  to  the  ordinary 
process  and  with  the  same  appliances.  The  paste  will  keep 
fresh  for  a  considerable  time  and  the  matrices  may  be  stored 
for  an  indefinite  period.  The  metal  may  be  used  harder  and 
hotter  than  ordinary  stereotype  metal,  which  insures  a  sharp 
.and  perfect  impression.  By  giving  these  stereotypes  a  nickel 
facing  they  will  endure  for  a  quarter  of  a  million  impressions. 
All  of  the  above  advantages  are  claimed  by  the  inventor  and 
practical  tests  are  now  being  made  by  a  well-known  concern. 

NICKEL  -  PLATING  STEREOTYPES.—  Nickel  will 
adhere  firmly  only  to  surfaces  which  are  absolutely  clean  and 
free  from  oxid.  If  the  plates  are  old  and  dirty  or  greasy,  they 
should  first  be  scrubbed  in  hot  lye,  then  rinsed  in  clean  water, 
then  scrubbed  with  powdered  pumice  stone  and  rinsed  again, 
after  which  they  should  be  dipped  for  an  instant  in  water 
acidulated  with  nitric  acid  in  the  proportion  of  about  two 
ounces  of  acid  to  each  gallon  of  water.  After  another  rinsing, 
the  plates  should  be  immediately  placed  in  the  bath.  It  is 
important  that  no  time  be  lost  between  the  last  rinsing  and 
the  immersion  in  the  bath,  for  a  film  of  oxid  forms  almost 
instantly  on  exposure  to  the  air.  If  the  plates  are  new  and 
clean,  the  preliminary  cleaning  may  be  dispensed  with,  but  they 
should  be  dipped  for  a  few  seconds  in  the  acid  and  water  to 
remove  the  oxid,  and  thoroughly  rinsed  in  running  water. 

OILING  MACHINERY.—  It  is  a  fact  not  generally  known 
that  too  much  oil  is  almost  as  bad  as  not  enough  for  fast- 
running  machinery.  A  drop  of  oil  would  run  a  router  spindle 
ten  hours  if  it  were  not  stopped.  But  if  it  were  stopped  it 
would  need  another  drop  before  starting.  Use  oil  sparingly 
but  frequently. 

PACKING  MATERIAL.— The  material  used  for  packing 
the  spaces  may  be  pieces  of  old  matrices,  strawboard  or  felt 
paper  manufactured  for  the  purpose,  a  putty  made  of  marble 
dust  and  paste,  or,  better  than  these,  a  compound  in  the  form 


STEREOTYPING.  161 

of  powder,  which  may  be  readily  spread  over  the  matrix. 
These  backing  compounds  may  be  procured  of  dealers  in 
stereotypers'  supplies,  or  may  be  manufactured  by  the  work- 
men. The  ingredients  employed  are  usually  lime  and  flour, 
intimately  mixed  and  sifted,  which,  when  moistened  by  the 
steam  arising  from  the  form  and  matrix  and  the  subsequent 
drying,  become  a  cement  hard  as  stone.  As  few  stereotypers 
have  the  necessary  facilities  for  mixing  the  materials  properly, 
it  is  usually  cheaper  and  much  more  convenient  and  satisfac- 
tory to  purchase  the  prepared  compound. 

PASTE. —  It  is  possible  to  make  stereotypes  from  a  flour 
matrix,  but  much  better  results  are  obtained  from  matrices 
made  with  a  paste  which  contains  in  proper  proportions  glue, 
starch  and  whiting  or  other  filler.  Flour  alone  soaks  into  the 
paper,  making  the  flong  hard  and  lifeless.  With  such  a  flong 
it  is  difficult  to  obtain  sufficient  depth  of  impression  in  the 
bowls  of  the  type,  and  unless  made  very  shallow  such  a  matrix 
would  be  likely  to  tear  out  in  casting.  The  addition  of  a  little 
cheap  glue  keeps  the  paste  more  on  the  surface  of  the  paper 
and  gives  it  a  certain  sponginess.  This  effect  is  increased  by 
the  addition  of  whiting,  which  also  gives  body  to  the  flong,  a 
smooth  and  rounded  appearance  to  the  spaces  between  the 
letters,  makes  the  flong  easy  to  mold,  assures  a  deep  bowl  and 
facilitates  rapid  drying.  Starch  gives  a  smooth  and  glossy 
finish  to  the  mold  and  thereby  to  the  stereotype  which  may 
be  cast  from  it. 

PASTE,  CARE  OF.—  Pastes  should  be  kept  in  a  covered 
jar  when  not  in  use;  if  exposed  to  the  air  they  become  sour 
and  moldy,  which  affects  their  adhesive  quality.  A  little 
carbolic  acid  added  when  cooking  will  prevent  fermentation. 

PASTE,  COOKING.— While  paste  should  never  be  over- 
cooked, yet  it  is  important  that  it  should  be  cooked  thoroughly, 
that  is,  the  entire  quantity  should  come  to  a  boil.  In  a  steam- 
jacketed  kettle,  the  mixture  will  boil  first  around  the  edges 
of  the  kettle;  hence,  to  insure  thorough  cooking,  it  should  be 
allowed  to  boil  three  or  four  minutes  after  the  first  indications 
of  boiling  are  seen.  Whether  the  paste  is  cooked  by  a  steam 


162  STEREOTYPING. 

jet  or  in  a  steam  kettle,  it  should  be  stirred  continually,  both 
to  prevent  lumping  and  to  insure  thorough  mixture  and  assimi- 
lation of  the  materials.  When  cool,  the  paste  should  be  of 
the  consistency  of  thick  cream.  If  too  thick  to  spread  easily, 
a  little  water  may  be  added,  but  it  is  not  advisable  to  add  more 
than  a  small  quantity,  as  the  adhesiveness  of  the  paste  will 
be  thereby  impaired. 

PASTE  FOR  BRUSH  MATS.— Mix  together  6  pounds 
Oswego  starch,  4  pounds  flour  and  I  ounce  of  powdered  alum, 
in  5  gallons  of  water;  then  add  il/2  pounds  of  glue  previously 
dissolved  in  I  gallon  of  water.  Cook  until  it  boils  thick.  When 
cold,  add  3  ounces  of  whiting  to  each  pound  of  paste,  mixing 
only  a  sufficient  quantity  for  the  day's  use. 

PASTE  FOR  ROLLER  MACHINE.— Three  pounds  best 
wheat  flour  (strong,  not  pastry)  and  4  quarts  of  water.  Mix 
until  all  lumps  are  out  of  flour.  Have  this  in  one  pan.  In 
another  pan :  12  ounces  of  starch  and  3  ounces  of  carbolic 
acid  and  2,  quarts  of  water.  Now  stir  until  acid  and  starch  are 
dissolved.  Mix  contents  of  both  pans  all  together,  and  boil 
until  paste  will  run  in  a  string  from  stirring  stick.  When  cool 
keep  in  a  stone  crock.  This  is  a  stock  paste  to  be  used  from 
to  make  the  two  kinds  of  paste  below:  For  Back  Paste. — 
Take  2  pounds  of  the  above  stock  paste  and  5  ounces  of  whit- 
ing and  2  ounces  of  dextrin.  Mix  all  together  well;  add 
water  to  thin  enough  to  suit,  then  sieve  and  use.  For  Face  or 
Tissue  Paper. —  Take  2  pounds  of  the  above  stock  paste  and  2 
ounces  of  whiting.  Mix  whiting  and  paste ;  add  water  to 
thin;  run  through  sieve  and  use.  If  face  of  tissues  does  not 
stick  well,  use  gum-water  to  thin  face  paste.  To  make  gum- 
water  use  2  ounces  of  gunj  arabic  to  I  quart  of  water ;  when 
gum  is  dissolved,  it  is  ready  for  use. 

PASTE  FOR  ROLLER  MATRICES.— A  good  paste  for 
roller  matrices  is  made  as  follows :  Mix  15  pounds  of  white 
dextrin,  10  pounds  of  bolted  whiting  and  5  pounds  of  Oswego 
starch  in  22  quarts  of  water.  Stir  with  the  hands  until  all 
lumps  have  disappeared  and  then  cook  in  a  steam-jacketed 
kettle.  The  paste  should  boil  slowly,  with  constant  stirring, 


STEREOTYPING.  163 

for  about  ten  or  fifteen  minutes.  In  warm  weather  a  table- 
spoonful  of  carbolic  acid  may  be  added  to  prevent  fermenta- 
tion. Another  recipe  is:  Starch,  il/2  pounds;  gilders'  whiting, 
2l/2  pounds ;  dextrin,  3^4  pounds.  Dissolye  dextrin  in  water 
and  add  starch  as  above.  Cook  in  a  steam- jacketed  kettle. 

PASTE  KETTLE.—  Paste  is  sometimes  cooked  by  intro- 
ducing steam  directly  into  the  vessel  containing  the  materials. 
In  this  case  some  of  the  steam  is  condensed  and  adds  to  the 
quantity  of  water  in  the  paste.  It  is  obvious  that  when  paste 
is  cooked  in  this  way  less  water  will  be  required  than  when 
it  is  cooked  over  a  fire  by  means  of  a  water  bath.  How  much 
less  depends  on  the  dryness  of  the  steam  used.  This  is  a 
point  not  easily  determined,  and  it  is  more  satisfactory,  there- 
fore, to  do  the  cooking  over  a  gas  stove,  unless  a  large  quantity 
is  required,  in  which  case  a  copper  kettle  surrounded  by  a 
steam  jacket  will  be  found  convenient. 

PASTE  MATERIALS.— A  great  variety  of  materials  is 
used  by  different  stereotypers  in  the  manufacture  of  paste, 
among  which  may  be  mentioned  wheat  flour,  rye  flour,  farina, 
corn  starch,  potato  starch,  arrow  root,  glue,  gelatin,  gum 
arabic,  gum  acacia,  dextrin,  china  clay,  kaolin,  paris  white, 
barytes,  ocher,  litharge  and  zinc  white. 

PASTE,  TO  PRESERVE.— To  preserve  paste  from  fer- 
mentation, alum,  carbolic  acid,  oxalic  acid  or  essential  oils  are 
employed.  When  the  mineral  ingredient  of  the  paste  is  added 
after  the  paste  is  cooked  and  cooled,  alum  is  found  to  be  the 
best  preservative,  but  when  the  whiting  or  other  filler  is  cooked 
with  the  paste,  carbolic  acid  should  be  employed,  because  alum 
in  combination  with  an  alkali  in  water  creates  a  chemical  dis- 
turbance which  impairs  the  adhesiveness  of  the  paste. 

PASTE  RECIPES.— The  following  formula  is  employed 
by  the  writer  with  satisfactory  results :  2l/2  pounds  starch,  l/2 
pound  flour,  6  ounces  dextrin,  2^/2  gallons  water.  Cook  in  a 
steam-jacketed  kettle  if  possible.  Here  is  another :  Mix 
together  with  the  hands  until  all  lumps  are  dissolved  &/2 
pounds  of  Oswego  starch  and  2^  pounds  of  wheat  flour,  in  6 
gallons  of  water.  Then  add  12  ounces  of  common  glue,  which 


164  STEREOTYPING. 

has  been  previously  dissolved  in  2  quarts  of  water,  and  2 
ounces  of  powdered  alum.  Cook  until  the  mixture  boils  thick. 
When  cold,  take  out  a  quantity  sufficient  for  one  day's  use 
and  add  one-half  its  bulk  of  bolted  whiting.  The  whiting 
should  be  thoroughly  incorporated  with  the  paste  and  the 
resultant  mass  forced  through  a  sieve  having  about  twenty 
meshes  to  the  inch.  Stir  continuously  while  cooking.  The  fol- 
lowing paste  recipe  is  recommended  by  a  writer  in  the  British 
Printer:  "  Dextrin,  I  pound ;  flour,  y2  pound  ;  starch,  i  pound ; 
glue,  t/2  pound ;  whiting,  2  pounds ;  water,  5  quarts,  and  a  few 
drops  of  carbolic  acid.  First  dissolve  the  dextrin  in  about  a 
quart  of  boiling  water,  stirring  until  a  stiff  gummy  solution  is 
obtained.  Having  made  the  starch  into  a  paste  by  the  addition 
of  cold  water,  the  resulting  thick  liquid  is  poured  into  the 
dextrin  while  it  is  still  in  the  boiling  water.  The  paste  and 
dextrin  together  should  thicken  almost  immediately ;  stir  well, 
and,  after  a  short  time,  treat  the  flour  exactly  as  the  starch, 
and  add  to  the  compound  in  a  cold  state.  It  will  be  necessary 
here  to  allow  for  the  maintenance  of  heat,  but  remember  that 
too  much  heat  will  burn  the  mixture.  If  boiled  over  a  Bunsen 
burner,  the  degree  of  heat  may  be  easily  regulated  if  desired. 
Having  arrived  so  far,  add  the  glue  —  soaked  over  night  and 
reduced  to  a  thick  liquid  form  —  and  continue  stirring  process. 
The  whiting  is  next  taken  in  hand;  this  is  crushed  to  a  fine 
powder  and,  by  the  addition  of  cold  water,  converted  to  a 
thick  paste,  then  in  its  turn  added  to  the  ingredients  in  the 
pot.  The  carbolic  acid  is  added  last." 

PLASTER  STEREOTYPING.— The  composition  used 
for  making  molds  in  the  plaster  process  of  stereotyping  is  plas- 
ter of  paris  of  good  quality.  Forms  which  are  to  be  duplicated 
by  the  plaster  process  must  be  set  with  high  quads  and  spaces. 
A  "molding  frame"  is  set  over  the  type,  and  the  plaster, 
mixed  to  about  the  consistency  of  cream,  is  poured  into  the 
frame  and  worked  down  into  the  type  with  the  hands,  and 
finally  scraped  off  with  a  straight-edge  level  with  the  top  of 
the  molding  frame.  After  standing  about  fifteen  minutes,  the 
frame  containing  the  plaster  mold  will  be  lifted  off  the  form 
and  placed  in  an  oven  to  dry,  which  may  require  thirty  minutes. 


STEREOTYPING.  165 

When  thoroughly  baked  it  is  placed  in  a  covered  iron  pan  and 
immersed  in  the  molten  metal,  which  runs  through  holes  in 
the  corner  of  the  pan  and  fills  the  mold.  This  operation 
requires  about  ten  minutes.  The  cast  is  then  removed  to  the 
cooling  trough,  when  twenty  minutes  more  are  required  to 
chill  it.  All  of  these  operations  must  be  conducted  with  great 
care  and  skill  or  'the  stereotype  will  be  defective,  and  in  any 
event  considerable  "picking"  and  finishing  will  be  found  nec- 
essary. 

POLISHING  MACHINERY.— Take  a  bottle  of  benzin 
and  put  in  it  a  small  chunk  of  paraffin.  It  will  have  to  set  a 
day  or  so,  as  the  paraffin  dissolves  slowly.  When  a  piece  of 
iron  is  wiped  with  this  the  polish  will  remain  for  "good." 
Among  machinists  it  is  recognized  as  the  best  protection  for 
polished  iron.  Machinery  supply  houses  sell  it  as  a  secret 
preparation,  advertised  as  "  a  volatile  oil  which  evaporates, 
leaving  a  colorless  and  permanent  coating." 

PULLEYS,  RULE  FOR  CALCULATING  SPEED  OF.— 
Problem  I :  The  diameter  of  the  .driver  and  the  driven  being 
given,  to  find  the  number  of  revolutions  of  the  driven.  Rule: 
Multiply  the  diameter  of  the  driver  by  its  number  of  revolu- 
tions and  divide  the  product  by  the  diameter  of  the  driven. 
The  quotient  will  be  the  number  of  revolutions.  Problem  2: 
The  diameter  and  revolutions  of  the  driver  being  given,  to 
find  the  diameter  of  the  driven,  that  shall  make  any  given 
number  of  revolutions  in  the  same  time.  Rule :  Multiply  the 
diameter  of  the  driver  by  its  number  of  revolutions  and  divide 
the  product  by  the  number  of  revolutions  of  the  driven;  the 
quotient  will  be  the  diameter.  Problem  3:  To  find  the  size 
of  the  driver.  Rule :  Multiply  the  diameter  of  the  driver  by 
the  number  of  revolutions  you  wish  to  make,  and  divide  the 
product  by  the  revolutions  of  the  driven ;  the  quotient  will  be 
the  size  of  the  driver. 

SHRINKS  IN  STEREOTYPE  PLATES.— Nearly  all 
kinds  of  metal  are  expanded  by  heat  and  contracted  by  cold. 
Naturally  it  contracts  first  where  it  cools  first,  which  in  the 
case  of  a  stereotype  plate  is  on  the  matrix  side  of  the  cast, 


166  STEREOTYPING. 

because  the  iron  cover  of  the  casting-box  retains  the  heat  on 
the  back  of  the  cast  longer  than  the  paper  matrix  on  the  face. 
Obviously,  the  way  to  force  the  shrinkage  to  the  back  of  the 
cast  where  it  will  do  no  harm,  is  to  cool  the  back  of  the  plate 
first,  which  may  be  done  by  spraying  the  casting-box  cover 
with  water  immediately  after  pouring  the  cast.  The  desired 
object  will  be  more  readily  attained  if  the  casting-box  be 
tilted  a  little  beyond  the  perpendicular  when  pouring.  That 
is  to  say,  it  should  lean  slightly  toward  the  furnace  rather  than 
away  from  it.  If  the  metal  is  right  to  begin  with  and  these 
instructions  are  followed,  perfect  casts  should  be  obtained. 
It  does  not  necessarily  follow  that  because  .metal  is  new,  good 
casts  will  result.  Stereotype  metal  must  be  correctly  propor- 
tioned or  trouble  will  ensue  whether  the  metal  be  old  or  new. 

STEAM  GENERATOR.— A  generator,  to  produce  satis- 
factory results,  should  be  located  under  the  steam  table,  so  that 
the  steam  will  circulate  as  it  does  in  a  house-heating  plant.  It 
would  be  difficult  to  heat  a  building  with  the  steam  plant 
located  in  the  attic,  and  it  is  almost  equally  difficult  to  heat  a 
steam  table  with  the  boiler  on  a  higher  plane  than  the  table, 
for  the  reason  that  the  water  in  the  boiler  frequently  siphons 
into  the  table,  and  it  is  impracticable  to  trap  it  back  into  the 
boiler.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the  boiler  can  be  located  on  a 
floor  below  that  on  which  the  steam  table  stands,  or  if  the 
generator  is  small  enough  to  be  located  directly  under  the 
steam  table,  so  that  a  perfect  circulation  may  be  assured,  there 
would  be  no  trouble  in  obtaining  all  the  heat  required.  Steam 
generators  of  the  latter  description  are  now  made  specially 
for  steam  tables  and  are  fully  guaranteed  by  the  makers. 

STEAM  TABLES,  HEATING.— The  only  practical 
method  of  heating  a  drying  table  is  by  steam.  Some  of  the 
manufacturers  of  stereotyping  machinery  furnish  a  small  steam 
generator  for  this  purpose,  which  occupies  little  space  and  is 
very  satisfactory.  Either  coal  or  gas  may  be  used  for  fuel. 
The  drying  table  should  be  supplied  with  a  small  automatic 
trap  to  keep  the  table  free  from  water  without  wasting  steam. 
If  the  generator  can  be  located  on  a  floor  below  the  drying 


STEREOTYPING.  167 

table,  a  trap  would  not  be  necessary,  as  the  steam  will  circulate 
and  prevent  the  accumulation  of  water  in  the  table. 

STEREOTYPING  MACHINE.— A  recent  invention  is 
described  as  a  "  machine  for  impressing  and  drying  stereotype 
matrices."  It  differs  from  the  methods  ordinarily  employed  in 
the  respects  that  neither  brush  nor  roller  are  used  to  produce 
the  impression.  The  peculiarity  of  the  invention  is  found  in 
the  fact  that  the  mold  is  made  by  direct  pressure  which  is  not 
exerted  all  over  the  form  at  the  same  time,  but  is  brought  to 
bear  first  on  the  center  of  the  form  and  then  on  the  outer 
portions,  working  from  the  center  out  to  the  edges,  thus 
gradually  expelling  the  air  from  under  the  flong.  The  platen 
of  the  machine  is  made  of  sections,  the  central  platen  being 
depressed  first,  then  the  sections  immediately  adjacent  to  the 
middle  sections  are  depressed,  and  the  pressure  gradually 
extended  until  a  perfectly  clear  impression  of  the  entire  body 
of  the  type  has  been  obtained.  After  the  several  platen  sec- 
tions have  all  been  brought  in  operation  the  pressure  thereon 
is  maintained  by  stopping  the  rotary  movement  of  the  cylinder 
over  the  platen  until  the  impression  has  set  or  until  the  matrix 
is  dried.  The  drying  is  accomplished  by  steam  heat,  the  bed 
of  the  machine  being  cast  hollow  and  heated  in  the  same 
manner  as  an  ordinary  steam-table.  As  the  form  is  not  moved 
until  the  matrix  is  dry,  all  danger  of  doubling  the  matrix  is 
eliminated. 

TABULAR  WORK,  STEREOTYPING.— Unusual  care 
should  be  exercised  in  locking  up  jobs  of  this  description,  and 
even  then  it  is  not  always  possible  to  prevent  rules  from  work- 
ing up.  The  same  difficulty  often  occurs  when  printing  such 
jobs  from  type,  that  is  to  say,  the  rules  work  up  on  the  press 
just  as  they  do  under  a  brush.  The  remedy  is  to  lock  up  the 
form  as  carefully  as  possible,  then,  if  the  rules  persist  in 
coming  up,  lift  the  matrix  carefully  from  the  high  rule  and 
plane  it  down,  observing  great  care,  of  course,  to  get  the 
matrix  back  properly.  The  beating  should  be  done  lightly; 
not  less  than  four  tissues  should  be  used  on  the  matrix,  and  it 
would  do  no  harm  to  use  five  or  six.  The  beating  and  planing 


168  STEREOTYPING. 

should  be  done  very  lightly,  to  avoid  cutting  the  flong  with  the 
sharp  points  and  rules,  and  for  the  same  reason  a  soft  drying 
blanket  should  be  used.  Severe  beating  or  excessive  pressure 
on  the  drying  table,  particularly  if  the  blankets  are  hard,  would 
force  the  points  into  the  matrix  deeper  than  the  type,  and  cause 
them  to  be  high  in  the  stereotype  plate. 

SOLDERING  ACID. —  In  mixing  soldering  acid,  always 
use  new,  clean  zinc  clippings,  and  keep  the  basin  and  brush 
clean.  Wash  them  every  day  and  put  in  clean  acid  every 
morning. 

TISSUES  THAT  DO  NOT  ADHERE.— Use  plenty  of 
filler,  namely,  whiting,  in  your  paste,  and  a  soft  drying  blanket. 
If  you  mold  with  a  beating  brush,  do  not  pound  the  spaces 
more  than  necessary,  but  rely  on  your  blankets  to  force  them 
down.  The  separation  is  caused  by  the  water  in  the  paste 
turning  to  steam,  which  expands  and  forces  the  tissues  apart. 
By  using  plenty  of  whiting,  the  moisture  is  partially  absorbed 
and  the  soft  drying  blanket  stretches  the  paper  tight  and  pre- 
vents it  from  puffing.  When  high  quads  and  spaces  are  used 
this  trouble  never  occurs,  because  the  matrix  is  forced  down 
to  the  quads  and  held  there  by  the  blankets.  In  the  absence 
of  high  quads  the  blankets  must  be  relied  upon  to  sti  etch  the 
paper  to  an  extent  sufficient  to  prevent  separation.  When  a 
large  number  of  casts  are  required,  or  when  the  spaces  are 
very  large,  it  will  pay  to  partially  fill  the  spaces  with  pieces  of 
leads  or  slugs,  so  as  to  provide  a  contact  surface  for  the 
matrix.  Pieces  of  strawboard  will  answer  instead  of  slugs, 
but  a  metallic  surface  is  better. 

TYPE  FORMS,  OILING.— To  prevent  the  flong  from 
sticking  to  the  form,  brush  the  type  sparingly  with  thin,  clean 
headlight  oil.  A  thick  oil  will  bake  on  the  types,  causing  them 
to  stick  together. 

TYPE,  GROWING.— This  is  an  old  trouble  and  one  that 
has  been  experienced  by  many  printers  and  stereotypers.  The 
cause  is  found  in  the  fact  that  metal  expands  with  heat.  The 
type  is  usually  locked  up  tightly  in  a  heavy  steel  chase,  which 


STEREOTYPING.  169 

prevents  expansion  in  a  lateral  direction,  and,  when  heat  is 
applied  to  dry  the  matrix,  the  expansion  takes  a  vertical  direc- 
tion. The  remedy  lies  in  providing  room  in  the  chase  for 
natural  expansion.  When  this  is  done  the  type  will  expand 
equally  in  all  directions,  and,  in  cooling,  will  contract  again 
to  its  original  dimensions.  A  simple  method  of  accomplishing 
this  result  is  to  surround  the  type  with  strips  of  soft  wood,  or 
at  least  to  place  a  strip  of  wood  between  the  side-sticks  and 
the  chase,  and  between  the  foot-stick  and  the  type.  The  wood 
takes  the  squeeze  of  the  expansion  and  relieves  the  type  from 
excessive  pressure.  Forms  which  are  to  be  stereotyped  should 
never  be  locked  tightly.  It  is  a  good  plan  to  loosen  the  screws 
after  the  form  is  on  the  steam  table.  The  writer  has  seen  a 
heavy  cast-iron,  type-high  chase,  2^  inches  wide,  broken  apart 
by  the  tremendous  power  of  expanding  type.  It  is  not  strange, 
therefore,  that  type  should  be  injured  when  subjected  to  such 
a  strain,  with  no  provision  to  take  care  of  the  expansion.  It 
should  be  remembered  that  expansion  is  greater  at  a  high 
than  at  a  low  temperature.  Unless  absolutely  necessary  to  dry 
the  matrix  as  rapidly  as  possible,  as  is  the  case  with  some 
newspaper  pages,  excessive  heat  should  not  be  applied.  A 
little  care  in  this  direction  will  add  to  the  life  of  the  type. 
Thirty  or  forty  pounds  steam  pressure  on  the  table  will  not 
be  nearly  so  likely  to  cause  injury  as  eighty  or  one  hundred 
pounds. 

TYPE  SHORTENED  BY  STEREOTYPING.— Why  type 
should  become  shortened  by  stereotyping  is  a  conundrum  which 
has  never  been  satisfactorily  solved,  but  there  is  no  question 
as  to  the  fact  that  it  is  sometimes  so  affected.  The  natural 
effect  of  stereotyping  is  to  elongate  the  type,  the  heat  of  the 
drying  press  causing  it  to  expand,  but  this  danger  may  be 
minimized  by  observing  proper  precautions  in  locking  up  the 
form.  The  same  precautions  would  no  doubt  be  beneficial  to 
type  which  shows  a  tendency  to  shorten  under  the  influence 
of  heat,  but  it  is  probable  that  no  amount  of  care  would  save 
this  particular  dress  of  type.  The  writer,  during  an  experi- 
ence of  many  years,  has  learned  that,  while  type  from  one 
foundry  may  be  stereotyped  thousands  of  times  without  per- 


170  STEREOTYPING. 

ceptible  injury,  an  outfit  from  another  foundry  would  be 
ruined  in  a  few  days  or  weeks,  although  the  conditions  govern- 
ing the  tests  were  identical.  It  is  also  a  fact  that  type  from 
one  foundry  will  be  shortened  while  another  make  .of  type 
will  become  elongated  by  continuous  stereotyping.  The  infer- 
ence from  these  facts  is  that  different  metal  formulas  are  used 
by  different  typefoundries,  and  that  all  are  not  equally  suitable 
for  the  manufacture  of  type  which  is  to  be  stereotyped.  It  is 
certainly  possible  to  stereotype  from  some  makes  of  type  with- 
out injury,  provided  the  forms  are  not  overheated  or  locked 
too  tightly.  The  writer  has  stereotyped  the  same  type  over 
two  thousand  times  without  producing  any  change  in  its 
height.  Of  course,  due  care  was  exercised  in  locking  up  the 
forms,  but  it  is  also  true  that  the  metal  in  the  type  was  of 
superior  quality. 

WOOD-MOUNTED  CUTS.— If  the  form  to  be  molded 
contains  wood-mounted  electrotypes,  they  should  be  underlaid 
with  hard,  thin  card  until  they  stand  at  least  a  thin  lead  higher 
than  the  type.  The  heat  and  pressure  incident  to  molding 
shrink  the  block. 

ZINC  IN  STEREOTYPE  METAL.— T.  B.  Look,  Port- 
land, Maine,  offers  the  following  suggestions :  "  Zinc  is  about 
the  worst  thing  that  can  get  into  metal.  I  found  that  it  could 
be  worked  fairly  well  by  the  following  treatment:  Heat  the 
metal  very  hot  and  allow  the  zinc  (which  is  the  lightest)  to 
come  to  the  surface  as  much  as  possible ;  then  throw  on  with 
a  scattering  motion,  so  as  to  cover  as  much  of  the  surface  of 
metal  as  possible,  a  mixture  of  about  three  parts  sulphur  to 
one  part  powdered  resin ;  now  burn  off  with  oil  and  skim 
thoroughly.  Then  repeat  and  add  a  small  quantity  of  anti- 
mony td  the  metal.  I  used  this  method  for  five  or  six  years 
where  we  sawed  both  stereotype  and  zinc  with  the  same  saw 
and  melting  the  sawdust  in  with  the  metal.  Although  we  used 
our  metal  on  job  work  and  cuts  and  half-tones,  we  never  threw 
away  a  pound  of  metal." 


INDEX. 


Acid,  soldering,  168 

Appendix,  134 

Autoplate,  the,  55,  134 

Backing  compounds,  33 

Backing  powder,  135 

Beating  brushes,  31 

Beating  the  matrix,  135 

Beating  table,  28 

Belts,  calculating  length  of,  135 

Belts,  slipping,  135 

Bending  a  small  matrix,  136 

Beveling  machine,  in 

Beveling  and  routing,  106 

Blankets,  37 

Blistering,  cause  of,  136 

Blistered  matrices,  136 

Blocking,  123 

Brushes,  leveling,  stereotype  beating, 

136 

Brush  and  sieve,  136 
Cabinet  saw,  77 
Calipers,  114 
Casting,  53 
Casting  boxes,  59 
Casting  large  plates,  137 
Celluloid  matrix  composition,  139 
Celluloid  printing-plates,  137 
Celluloid,  substitute  for,  139 
Chalk  brush,  27 
Chalk  plates,   139 
Chalk  plates,  casting,  69 
Chalk  plate  ingredients,  140 
Chalk  plates,  stereotyping,  ^40 
Clay  stereotyping,  141 
Clay   vs.    papier-mache    stereotyping, 

142 

Cleaning  metal,  70,  155 
Cold  process,  48,  142 
Concave  stereotypes,  143 
Copper-plating  curved   stereotypes, 

*43 

Correcting  machine,  131 
Corroded  stereotype  plates,  44 
Cost  of  stereotyping,  144 
Curved  shaver,  82 

Curved  stereotype  plate-finishing  ma- 
chine, 145 


Cuts,  wood-mounted,  170 

Cutting-off  cylinder,  72 

Daniels'  planer,  125 

Daniels'  planer  tool,  115 

Danish  stereotyping  process,  159 

Defective  stereotyping,  145 

Double  saw,  79 

Double  trimmer,  103 

Dovetailing  machine,  129 

Drill  and  jig-saw  combined,  119 

Dry  stereotyping,  146 

Drying  blankets,  care  of,  147 

Drying,  importance  of,  30 

Drying  press,  34,  36 

Drying  stereotype  molds  by  hot  air, 

Durability  of  stereotypes,  148 

Electric  matrix-dryer,  40 

Elevating  bed  shaving  machine,  88 

Expansion  of  type,  29 

Failure,  causes  of,  66 

Finishing  cylinder,  107 

Five-column  casting  box,  64 

Flong,  16 

Flong,  a  new  stereo,  148 

Flong-pasting  machine,  149 

Flongs,  roller  process,  22 

Floors  for  stereotype  foundries,  150 

Form,  preparing  the,  26 

Forms    to    be    unlocked    and    planed, 

3r 

French  chalk,  150 

Hadaway  electric  matrix-drier,    39 
"  Fudge,"  the,  150 
Gage,  lining,  type,  101 
Growing  type,  1 68 
Half-tones  in   curved   stereotype 

plates,  151 

Half-tones,  stereotyping,  151 
Hand  shaver,  84 

Hardening  and  tempering  steel,  152 
High  type,  cause  of,  28 
Historical,  n 
Honeycombed  plates,  153 
Impression,  depth  of,  153 
Introductory,  8 
Jig-saw  and  drill  combined,  119 


171 


172 


INDEX 


Job  trimmer,  96 

Kahrs'  process,  49 

Kerefting,  A.,  157 

Knife  shaver,  90 

Line-holder,  97 

Lining  gage,  101 

Linotype  metal,  156 

Locking  forms  too  tight,  130 

Machine  molds,  efficiency  of,  43 

Matrices,  pattern,  153 

Matrix-drier,  39 

Matrix,  drying  the,  35 

Matrix,  packing  the,  33 

Matrix-paper,  best  weight,  153 

Matrix-paper,  18,  24 

Matrix  wrinkling  under  roller,  154 

Melting-pot,  57 

Metal,  brittle,  155 

Metal,  cleaning,  155 

Metal,  composition  of,  155 

Metal,  "  doctoring,"  156 

Metal,  Linotype,  156 

Metals,  mixing,  156 

Metal,  rotten,  156 

Metal,  substitute  for  stereotype,    156 

Metal,  temperature  of,  157 

Mixing  metals,  156 

Molding,  31 

Molding  by  pressure,  157 

Molding  machine,  42 

Mortising  machine,  132 

Nailing  machine,  131 

Negative  stereotypes,  157 

New  stereotyping  process,  159 

Nickel-facing,  51 

Nickel-plating  stereotypes,  160 

Nikello  process,  50,  159 

Oil  brush,  27 

Oiling  machinery,  160 

Oiling  type  forms,  168 

Packing  material,  160 

Paste,  19,  6 1 

Paste,  care  of,  161 

Paste,  cooking,  161 

Paste,  to  preserve,  163 

Paste  for  brush  mats,  162 

Paste  for  roller  machine,  162 

Paste  for  roller  matrices,  162 

Paste  kettle,  163 

Paste  materials,  163 

Paste  recipes,  163 

Paste  sieve,  23 

Pattern  matrices,  153 

Planer  and  shoot-board,  94 

Planer  tool,  Daniels',  115 

Plaster,  stereotyping,  164 

Polishing  machinery,  165 

Power  reverse  shaver,  87 


Power  shoot-board,  95 

Pressure,  molding  by,  157 

Pulleys,  calculating  speed  of,  165 

Pump  furnace,  54 

Revising,  113 

Revising  chisel,  114 

Revising  machine,  132 

Revising  punch,  114 

Revising  stick,  113 

Rolling  machine,  38 

Rolling   machines,    experts  required 
for,  47 

Rotten  metal,  156 

Roughing  machine,  91 

Router  tool,  115 

Routing  and  beveling,  106 

Routing  machine,  109 

Saw,  cabinet,  77 

Saw,  double,  79 

Saw  and  trimmer  combined,  75 

Saw,  stereotypers',  73 

Sawing,  71 

Schreiner  molding  and  drying  ma- 
chine, 45 

Shaver,  adjustable  knife,  90 

Shaver  and  tail  cutter,  83 

Shaver,  power  reverse,  87 

Shaving  machines,  81 

Shaving  machine,  elevating  bed,  88 

Shoot-board  and  planer,  94 

Shortened  type,  169 

Shrinks  in  stereotype  plates,  165 

Sieve  brush,  23 

Soldering  acid,  168 

Speed  in  stereotyping,  63 

Steam  generator,  166 

Steel,  hardening  and  tempering,   152 

Stereotype  metal,  composition  of,   56 

Stereotyping  machine,  167 

Substitute  for  stereotype  metal,   156 

Tabular  work,  stereotyping,  167 

Temperature  of  metal,  157 

Tempering  and  hardening  steel,    152 

Tissues  that  do  not  adhere,  168 

Trimmer,  double,  103 

Trimmer,  job,  96 

Trimmer,  large,  98 

Trimmer,  tool,  100 

Trimming,  98 

Type  forms,  oiling,  168 

Type  gage,  101 

Type,  growing,  168 

Type  shortened  by  stereotyping,   169 

Weight  of  matrix  paper,  153 

Wood-mounted  cuts,  170 

Wrinkling  matrix,  154 

Zinc  in  stereotype  metal,  170 


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BOOKBINDING 

BOOKBINDING  —  Paul    N.   Hasluck $0.54 

BOOKBINDING  AND  THE  GARB  OF  BOOKS  —  Douglas  Cockcrell 1 .35 

BOOKBINDING  FOR  AMATEURS  —  W.  J.  E.  Crane 1.10 

MANUAL  OF  THE  ART  OF  BOOKBINDING  —  J.  B.  Nicholson 2.35 

THE  ART  OF  BOOKBINDING  —  J.  W.  Zaehns'dorf 1 . 60 

COMPOSING-ROOM 

CONCERNING  TYPE  —  A.  S.  Carnell $  .50 

CORRECT  COMPOSITION  —  Theodore  Low  De  Vinne 2.10 

COVERS  AND  TITLE  PAGES  IN  VARIOUS  COLOR  COMBINATIONS  ON  DIFFER- 
ENT   STOCKS  —  An    Interesting   Showing   of    Artistic    Designs  — 

Full  of  Suggestions 75 

IMPOSITION,  a  Handbook  for  Printers  —  F.  J.  Trezise 1.00 

IMPRESSIONS  OF  MODERN  TYPE  DESIGNS 25 

MODERN  BOOK  COMPOSITION  —  Theodore  Low  De  Vinne 2.10 

PLAIN  PRINTING  TYPES  —  Theodore  Low  De  Vinne 2.10 

THE  PRACTICAL  PRINTER  —  H.  G.  Bishop 1 . 00 

PRINTING  —  Charles  Thomas  Jacobi 2 . 60 

PRINTING  AND  WRITING  MATERIALS  —  Adele  Millicent  Smith 1 . 60 

SPECIMEN  BOOKS: 

Bill-heads     25 

Envelope  Corner-cards   25 

Letter-heads 50 

Professional  Cards  and  Tickets 25 

Programs  and  Menus 50 

Covers  and  Title  Pages 75 

THE  STONEMAN  —  Charles  W.  Lee 1.00 

TITLE-PAGES  —  Theodore  Low  De  Vinne 2.10 

VEST-POCKET  MANUAL  OF  PRINTING 50 


DRAWING  AND  ILLUSTRATION 

A  HANDBOOK  OF  ORNAMENT  —  Franz  Sales  Meyer $3.75 

A  HANDBOOK  OF  PLANT  FORM 2.60 

ALPHABETS  —  A  HANDBOOK  OF  LETTERING  —  Edward  F.  Strange 1.60 

ALPHABETS  OLD  AND  NEW  —  Lewis  F.  Day 1.35 

DECORATIVE  DESIGNS  —  Paul  N.  Hasluck 54 

DRAWING  FOR  PRINTERS  —  Ernest  Knaufft 2 . 00 

DRAWING   FOR  REPRODUCTION  —  Charles  G.  Harper 2 .35 

HUMAN  FIGURE  —  J.  H.  Vanderpoel 2 . 00 

LESSONS  ON  DECORATIVE  DESIGN  —  Frank  G.  Jackson 2.10 

LESSONS  ON  FORM  —  A.  Blunck 3.15 

LETTERS  AND  LETTERING  —  Frank  Chouteau  Brown 2.10 

LETTERING  FOR  PRINTERS  AND  DESIGNERS  —  Thomas  Wood  Stevens 1.00 

LINE  AND  FORM  —  Walter  Crane 2.10 

THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  DESIGN  —  E.  A.  Batchelder 3.00 

THEORY  AND  PRACTICE  OF  DESIGN  —  Frank  G.  Jackson 2.60 

ELECTROTYPINQ  AND  STEREOTYPING 

ELECTROTYPING  —  C.  S.  Partridge.     Being  revised. 
PARTRIDGE'S  REFERENCE  HANDBOOK  OF  ELECTROTYPING  AND  STEREOTYP- 
ING—  C.  S.  Partridge. $1.50 

STEREOTYPING  —  C.  S.  Partridge.     Being  revised. 

ESTIMATING  AND  ACCOUNTING 

A    MONEY-MAKING  '  SYSTEM    FOR    THE   EMPLOYING    PRINTER  —  Eden   B. 

Stuart $1 . 00 

ACTUAL  COSTS  IN  PRINTING  —  Isaac  H.  Blanchard 5.00 

Style  2.  Annual  Tables  for  Printers  and  Binders.  Every  practical 
printer  insists  on  revising  his  cost  figures  each  year,  and  for  that 
purpose  the  cost-figuring  tables,  together  with  the  blank  sheets  for 
use  in  annual  inventory,  have  been  bound  together  in  convenient 

book  form    2.00 

CAMPSIE'S  POCKET  ESTIMATE  BOOK  —  John  W.  Campsie. 75 

CHALLEN'S  LABOR-SAVING  RECORDS  —  Advertising,  Subscription,  Job  Print- 
ers. 50  pages,  flexible  binding,  $1 ;  100  pages,  half  roan,  cloth  sides, 
$2,  and  $1  extra  for  each  additional  100  pages. 

COST  OF  PRINTING  —  F.  W.  Baltes 1 . 50 

EMPLOYING    PRINTER'S   PRICE-LIST  —  David   Ramaley 1 . 25 

FUNDAMENTAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  ASCERTAINING  COST  OF  MANUFACTURING  — 

J.   Cliff  Dando    10.00 

HINT  FOR  YOUNG  PRINTERS  UNDER  EIGHTY  —  W.  A.  Willard 50 

How  TO  MAKE  MONEY  IN  THE  PRINTING  BUSINESS —  Paul  Nathan 3.20 

NICHOLS'  PERFECT  ORDER  AND  RECORD  BOOK 3 . 00 

ORDER  BOOK  AND  RECORD  OF  COST  —  H.  G.  Bishop 3 . 00 

PRINTER'S    INSURANCE    PROTECTIVE    INVENTORY    SYSTEM  —  Charles    S. 

Brown 10 . 00 

STARTING  A  PRINTING-OFFICE  —  R.  C.  Mallette 1 . 60 

LITHOGRAPHY 

ALBUM  LITHOGRAPHIQUE  (specimens)    $1.50 

HANDBOOK  OF  LITHOGRAPHY  —  David  Gumming 2.10 

LITHOGRAPHIC  SPECIMENS   3.50 

PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHY  —  George  Fritz 1.85 

PRACTICAL  LITHOGRAPHY  —  Alfred  Seymour   2 . 60 

THE  GRAMMAR  OF  LITHOGRAPHY  —  W.  D.  Richmond 2.10 

MACHINE  COMPOSITION 

A  POCKET  COMPANION  FOR  LINOTYPE  OPERATORS  AND  MACHINISTS  —  S. 

Sandison     $1 . 00 

CORRECT  KEYBOARD  FINGERING  —  John  S.  Thompson 25 

FACSIMILE  LINOTYPE  KEYBOARDS 25 

HISTORY  OF  COMPOSING  MACHINES  —  John  S.  Thompson 2.00 

THALER  LINOTYPE  KEYBOARD 4 . 00 

THE  LINOTYPE  OPERATOR'S  COMPANION  —  E.  J.  Barclay 1.00 

THE  MECHANISM  OF  THE  LINOTYPED —  John  S.  Thompson 2.00 


MISCELLANEOUS 

A  TREATISE  ON  PHOTOGRAVURE  —  Herbert  Deniston $2 . 25 

THE  ART  OP  ENGRAVING 1 . 60 

AUTHOR  AND  PRINTER  —  F.  Howard  Collins 2 .35 

THE  BUILDING  OF  A  BOOK  —  Frederick  H.  Hitchcock 2.20 

EIGHT-HOUR-DAY   WAGE    SCALE  —  Arthur   Duff 3.00 

THE  GRAPHIC  ARTS  AND  CRAFTS  YEAR-BOOK,  $5.00 ;     foreign 5.80 

INKS,  THEIR  COMPOSITION  AND  MANUFACTURE  —  C.  Ainsworth  Mitchell 

and  T.  C.   Hepworth 2.60 

MANUFACTURE  OP  INK  —  Sigmund  Lehner   .. 2.10 

MILLER'S  GUIDE  —  John  T.   Miller 1 . 00 

OIL  COLORS  AND  PRINTING  INKS  —  L.  E.  Endes 2.60 

PRACTICAL    PAPERMAKING  —  George   Clapperton 2 . 60 

PRINTER'S  HANDBOOK  OF  TRADE  RECIPES  —  Charles  Thomas  Jacobi 1.85 

WRITING  FOR  THE  PRESS  —  Robert  Luce 1.10 

NEWSPAPER  WORK 

ESTABLISHING  A  NEWSPAPER  —  O.  F.  Byxbee $   .50 

GAINING  A  CIRCULATION  —  Charles  M.  Krebs 50 

PERFECTION  ADVERTISING  RECORDS 3.50 

PRACTICAL  JOURNALISM  —  Edwin  L.  Shuman 1.35 

PRESSWORK 

A  CONCISE  MANUAL  OF  PLATEN  PRESSWORK  —  F.  W.  Thomas .$  .25 

COLOR  PRINTER  —  John  F.  Earhart. 

THE  HARMONIZER  —  John  F.   Earhart 3 . 50 

TYMPAN   GAUGE   SQUARE 25 

OVERLAY  KNIFE    25 

PRACTICAL  GUIDE  TO  EMBOSSING  AND  DIE  STAMPING 1.50 

STEWART'S  EMBOSSING  BOARD,  per  dozen 1 . 00 

PROCESS  ENGRAVING 

PENROSE'S  PROCESS  YEAR-BOOK,  1906-7 $2 . 85 

PHOTOENGRAVING  —  H.  Jenkins;    revised  and  enlarged  by  N.  S.  Amstutz  3.00 

PHOTOENGRAVING  —  Carl  Schraubstadter,  Jr 3 . 00 

PHOTO-MECHANICAL  PROCESSES  —  W.  T.  Wilkinson 2 . 10 

PHOTO-TRICHROMATIC   PRINTING  —  C.   G.  Zander 1 .50 

PSIOR'S  AUTOMATIC  PHOTO  SCALE 2.00 

REDUCING    GLASSES    35 

THREE-COLOR  PHOTOGRAPHY  —  Arthur  Freiherrn  von  Hubl 3.50 

PROOFREADING 

BIGELOW'S  HANDBOOK  OF  PUNCTUATION  —  Marshall  T.  Bigelow $  .55 

CULINARY  FRENCH    35 

ENGLISH  COMPOUND  WORDS  AND  PHRASES  —  F.  Horace  Tcall 2.60 

GRAMMAR  WITHOUT  A  MASTER  —  William  Cobbett 1 .10 

THE  ORTHOEPIST  —  Alfred   Ayres 1.35 

WEBSTER'S    POCKET    DICTIONARY 50 

PENS  AND  TYPES  —  Benjamin  Drew 1 . 35 

PROOFRF.ADING  AND  PUNCTUATION  —  Adele  Millicent  Smith 1.10 

PUNCTUATION  —  F.    Horace   Teall 1.10 

STYLEBOOK  OF  THE  CHICAGO  SOCIETY  OF  PROOFREADERS 30 

THE  ART  OF  WRITING  ENGLISH  —  J.  M.  D.  Meiklejohn,  M.A 1.60 

THE   VERBALIST  —  Alfred   Ayres 1 .35 

TYPOGRAPHIC  STYLEBOOK  —  W.  B.  McDermutt 50 

WILSON'S  TREATISE  ON  PUNCTUATION  —  John  Wilson..  .  1.10 


PAMPHLET   GIVING   CONTENTS   OF    EACH   BOOK 
MAILED   ON  REQUEST 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW 

AN  INITIAL  FINE  OF  25  CENTS 

WILL  BE  ASSESSED  FOR  FAILURE  TO  RETURN 
THIS  BOOK  ON  THE  DATE  DUE.  THE  PENALTY 
WILL  INCREASE  TO  5O  CENTS  ON  THE  FOURTH 
DAY  AND  TO  $1.OO  ON  THE  SEVENTH  DAY 
OVERDUE. 


YC 


300119 


-,.. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 


